BerryWorld: New Berry Varieties Introduced
BerryWorld celebrates its 30th anniversary with an ever-improving varietal portfolio, with four new berry varieties being introduced.
Founded in 1994, the BerryWorld Group has developed from its established UK roots into an international market leader in the soft fruit category, spanning the length of the supply chain. From access to award-winning proprietary and exclusive genetics, growing and packing operations, and three decades of category management expertise developing consumer markets, the business is well-placed for continued growth and innovation in 2024.
2023 was a pivotal year for BerryWorld, with Agroberries purchasing a minority shareholding in the Group. This year, the business is bringing four new varieties to market, which have been positively received in benchmarking by retailers and growers alike.
BerryWorld Ruby®, selected from the BerryWorld Plus® program for its picking speed and early, high-class I yield, will be available this year, further enhancing the premium raspberry offer and providing great flavor and uniform glossy berries.
BerryWorld Orb®, the pioneer blueberry from BerryWorld Plus, will also be released in trial volumes in 2024. Samuel Rowe , CEO of BerryWorld Varieties, explains, “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.”
From the Beekers® breeding program, the Group boasts a new strawberry release, BeeHonest™, a promising June bearer with a firm texture and natural sweetness. The program, established over a decade ago, is a joint venture between experienced grower and BerryWorld Group’s European CEO Wil Beekers and expert Dutch breeder Hans de Jongh. “BeeHonest™ has performed well on taste and texture – we are excited to bring larger volumes to European consumers this summer,” explains Beekers.
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The Group’s strawberry offer will also be extended this summer to include the latest exclusive variety from the Edward Vinson® breeding program, Eves Joy™. “This glossy, vibrant berry was selected for its consistent size and flavor throughout the extended domestic strawberry season and enhanced 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 program BerryWorld Plus.”
“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,” highlights Olins.