Soft-fruit supplier Berryworld has celebrated the start of its 30th anniversary year with the introduction of four new berry varieties.
The move comes after American-based Agroberries purchased a minority stake in the Hertfordshire-based company. In a statement Berryworld commented, ‘From our humble UK roots in 1994, we’ve blossomed into an international leader in the berry world, and it’s all thanks to our passion for flavour and innovation. From access to award-winning proprietary and exclusive genetics, state-of-the-art growing and packing operations, and three decades of category management expertise developing consumer markets, we’re well placed for continued growth and innovation into 2024 and beyond. This year we’re bringing four new varieties to market which have been applauded by retailers and growers alike’. The new varieties include one raspberry, one blueberry and two strawberries. BerryWorld Ruby® is the latest raspberry from the BerryWorld Plus® programme, selected for its picking speed and early, high Class I yield.
Also, from the BerryWorld Plus® programme is blueberry BerryWorld Orb®, which will be released in trial volumes in 2024. “BerryWorld Orb® is a welcome addition to our northern highbush varietal offer which has been some years in development. The fruit is flavourful, the berries have good crunch and great shelf-life, and we eagerly anticipate moving into commercial volumes in 2025,” comments Samuel Rowe, CEO of BerryWorld Varieties.
BeeHonest™, from the Beekers® breeding programme which was established over a decade ago as a joint venture between experienced grower and BerryWorld Group’s European CEO Wil Beekers and expert Dutch breeder Hans de Jongh, is a promising June-bearer with firm texture and a natural sweetness. Will Beekers comments, “BeeHonest™ has performed well on taste and texture and we are excited to bring larger volumes to European consumers this summer”.
The final addition is Eves Joy™, the latest exclusive variety from the Edward Vinson® breeding programme. “This glossy, vibrant berry was selected for its consistent size and flavour throughout the extended domestic strawberry season and enhances our superior strawberry range” explains Adam Olins, CEO of BerryWorld Group. “We have worked with the Edward Vinson team since inception and are delighted by the continued evolution of award-winning strawberry genetics and successful blueberry, raspberry and blackberry developments through our shared breeding programme BerryWorld Plus®.”
He continued, “Our breeding partners further afield are also producing very promising new releases in blueberries. Mountain Blue’s Masena™, Eureka Gold™ and Eureka Dawn™ all offer a premium eating experience and will continue to underpin our ability to grow the top-tier blueberry offer around the world”.