Small lettuce making a big impression in Northern Europe

As part of Bejo's focus on leafy crops, the mini romaine variety Cologne is a standout that lives up to the promise of their campaign: 'All you need for salad, Bejo has it!'

This compact, all-season mini romaine is specifically developed for the Northern European climate and is gaining strong momentum, particularly in Germany. Its combination of robust field performance, visual appeal, and versatility across the chain makes it a valuable addition for growers, retailers, and consumers alike.

Cologne is Bejo's first mini romaine variety and brings significant benefits to the field. The variety performs reliably year-round and thrives in both open-field and protected conditions. Its high level of uniformity is one of its most unique traits; plants all look practically identical, with almost 100% of heads harvestable. It performs well in practice.

The heads are compact yet dense, with a vibrant yellow heart and strong, dark green outer leaves. This appealing appearance ensures good shelf life and makes it ideal for retail presentation. The tidy, upright structure with good closure supports whole-head or value-added use.

Cologne's full resistance package includes resistance to Bremia (Bl:29–41EU), an important advantage that not all competitor varieties offer. It also provides resistance to LMV1, Fol1, Nr:0, and TBSV. Additionally, it is strong against bolting, highly resistant to internal browning, and shows excellent resistance to tipburn.

Cologne has a growing period of just 45 to 50 days. Its planting window runs from early March through late August. Whether grown conventionally or organically, under open field or protection, this variety maintains strong quality and reliability throughout the season.

Its compact shape and optimal size—15 to 18 cm—perfectly suit the Northern European mini romaine.

Cologne is still in the early stages of its introduction in Germany. Some growers have already adopted it as their main variety, while others are testing or scaling up. The outlook is strong, especially as more producers experience its agronomic and commercial benefits first-hand.

Whether they are growers, retailers, or foodservice buyers, mini romaine Cologne brings reliable quality, compact elegance, and strong performance to every step of the chain.