Hidden among greenhouses, test fields, and laboratories in Brur Hayil is one of Israel’s most influential agri-tech companies, HaZera. Founded in 1939, before statehood, it was built on the idea that national security begins with food security, so the Jewish community would not depend on imported seeds or foreign food supplies in a crisis.
Today, HaZera operates in more than 120 markets, employs about 1,000 people, and runs dozens of trial sites around the world. The Israeli-Dutch company is owned by France’s Limagrain, a farmers’ cooperative worth about 3 billion euros and the world’s fourth-largest seed group overall, but No. 1 in vegetable seeds. Its headquarters are at the Brur Hayil farm, established in 1950 near Bnei Re’em, with about 90 dunams of research land and another 50 dunams of facilities; the company also has a plant in Sderot and three sites in the Netherlands.
Breeding a new variety usually takes seven to 12 years, and onions can take up to 15 years. One of HaZera’s landmark successes was Daniela, the long-shelf-life tomato developed in Israel, which became the first of its kind in the world and helped make the company a global name, contributing to Limagrain’s 2003 acquisition. Other products cited include a seedless mini watermelon, a sweet cabbage that sold in Europe without genetic engineering, and the Galilea tomato, which helped African farmers grow crops in difficult conditions with better shelf life and food security.
The company is now racing against tomato viruses, especially ToBRFV, which has spread from the Middle East since 2014 and hit nearly all Israeli tomato-growing areas. Workers wear full protective gear and even bag their phones before entering greenhouses. After years of research with Limagrain, HaZera developed virus-resistant varieties and became one of the first companies to offer a commercial solution to farmers.
The article also offers consumer advice, saying thinner cucumbers last longer, green peppers are not necessarily better because green means unripe, and Maggi tomatoes should be slightly green inside. It also advises not to remove the tomato’s green stem, since it continues to help preserve freshness. Finally, HaZera named a cherry tomato line Tal Hero in memory of Tal Maman, a grower from a farming family who was killed on October 7, and put a QR code on the package telling his story.
