Major Flower Breeder Pulls Out of 2021 California Summer Trials

By Danziger|December 18, 2020

Flower breeder Danziger North America has announced it will not be participating in California Summer Trials (CAST) in 2021 and beyond.

“After much discussion, both internally and with our customers, we have decided to rework the way that we bring Danziger new introductions to market,” said Mike Fernandez, Market Manager of Danziger North America in a statement. “Looking at our processes through the customers’ eyes, keeping in mind that we need to come to market in a safe and efficient manner, we have decided that we will not participate in CAST moving forward. The main reason we are making this change is that neither April nor June are an opportune time for growers and broker partners. We at Danziger are committed to having a convenient and stable introduction process. This includes moving up our introduction timeline several months. This will allow growers to order trials of new intros in time to evaluate and make decisions during the regular growing season.”

Here is the revised timeline for Danziger’s new introductions:

The company will continue to be active and dedicated to all retail sponsored trials and meetings.
In addition to the live NovemberFest event at its R&D facilities in Israel, introductions of next year’s varieties will be presented virtually via one-on-one meetings, similar to this past year. Danziger will be scheduling meetings in October through December, allowing its business partners more flexibility and a broader timeline to meet. With this timeframe, customers can gather knowledge of new products and receive trials for finishing the following spring.
Virtual follow-up meetings will also be available in March/April to view any late additions and review products. Danziger will be finishing plants in the spring, which will allow it to film a series of videos that will be made available for viewing at the grower’s convenience.
Danziger will continue to participate in public and private trials throughout North America, as they are a valuable tool for evaluating Danziger genetics in each region.
Danziger will host an open house event at its R&D facility in Michigan to view new and future varieties. This event takes place in July and August to coincide with the Michigan Garden tour.

“We feel this new process will bring us closer to our existing and future customers through increased consideration for how they want to do business, more targeted and personalized meetings, and improved efficiencies for all involved,” Fernandez says.

Earlier this year, California Spring Trials organizers announced that starting in 2021, CAST becomes the California Summer Trials, which are set to take place from Wednesday, June 23 through Sunday, June 27, 2021.