|
Southern Hemisphere Grape
Marketer-Licensees Named |
Sun World International,
Inc. has appointed seven leading
fruit marketing companies
to distribute its new seedless
table grapes produced in Chile,
South Africa and Australia, Sun
World Senior Vice President
David Marguleas announced in
November. The appointments
include:
-
Chile: Dole
Chile,S.A., and Frutera Santa
Maria, S.A.
-
South Africa:
Capespan (Pty) Ltd., The Grape
Company (Ptd) Ltd., and Dole
South Africa
-
Australia:
Perfection Fresh Australia Pty
Ltd and Table Grape Growers of
Australia Pty Ltd – Vine Fresh
Pty Ltd.
The companies will market
grapes grown by licensed
Sun World producers under a
managed planting system in each
of the three southern hemisphere
countries. Additional
appointments in these and other
countries may be made in the
future.
The grapes include
a wide range of white, red and
black seedless varieties
developed at Sun World’s
Research and Development Center
and will be marketed under
private brands such as MIDNIGHT
BEAUTY®, COACHELLA SEEDLESS™,
SABLE SEEDLESS™ and SOPHIA
SEEDLESS™. These products join
the company’s flagship Sugraone
variety marketed as
SUPERIOR
SEEDLESS® brand.
“Each of these marketing
companies will play a
key role in introducing Sun
World’s new seedless grapes to
supermarkets, importers,
wholesalers and eventually
consumers in Europe, North
America and the Far East, as
well as in local markets,”
Marguleas said. “We’ll work
closely with these premier
marketers in evaluating our
varieties, selecting growers to
produce them, and developing
effective retail promotional
programs.”
|
Low Chill
Stone Fruit Conference and
Expo in Australia |
 Sun
World’s Bob Wickson
was on hand for the Low
Chill Conference and Expo
held at Ballina near
Brisbane in Australia in
May of this year.
The theme of the
conference, Lifting our
Game to Meet the
Challenges, was
addressed by 47 speakers
over a range of issues. The
conference was organized
by Low Chill Australia (LCA),
a grower association
formed in 1998 to address
the interests of the low
chill stone fruit
producers in Australia.
“The Low Chill Australia
group is
doing a great job of
organizing low chill
growers and addressing
important issues”, said Wickson.
It was clear during
the conference that there
is considerable concern
about competition from
Northern Hemisphere
countries and a
critical need for improved
varieties to meet that
challenge. Wickson
described some of the new
Sun World low chill
plum, peach, and nectarine
varieties coming out of
quarantine in Australia
and explained Sun
World strategies for
licensed and managed
plantings. New low chill
plums are of interest to growers since there are
few cultivars available,
but all low chill
cultivars must have acceptable size and
flavor to compete. |
|
Sugranineteen, Unbeatable in the
Heat
|
 In
many regions of the world,
high temperatures can cause
color
development problems with
red
table grape varieties.
The late season Crimson
variety was particularly
affected this year in California’s
San Joaquin Valley due to record high
temperatures.
Sun World’s
Sugranineteen table
grape, pictured on
the right with Crimson, was designed
especially for regions where Crimson
does not color
consistently. Great
color, combined with
larger berry size and
attractive loose clusters
makes Sugranineteen a good
choice for growers.
|
Tesco Field
Technicians Visit
Sun World R&D |
 This
summer, Tesco
representatives from the
U.K. visited the Sun World
R&D Center to
evaluate new Sun World
varieties being planted
commercially worldwide,
and to take a look at new
varieties still in the
pipeline. Tesco, the
number one food retailer
in the U.K., currently has
over 1900 stores from
hypermarkets to
convienence stores, and is
continuing to expand. They
are also expanding rapidly
in central Europe and in
Asia.
“Input from a
buyer like Tesco is
priceless.”
said Sun World Table Grape
Breeder Michael Striem,
“It helps to keep product
development on track for
our licensed growers
worldwide.”
 SABLE
SEEDLESS® (cv Sugrasixteen), pictured on the
right, was of
particular interest during
the visit because of
Tesco’s keen interest in
providing highly flavorful
fruit to its customers. In the highly competitive
world of fruit retailing,
SABLE SEEDLESS® is
considered by many to have a
desirable combination of
flavor, aroma and
crispness that is truly
unique.
|
Late Season Sun
World Seasonal
Shots |
 If
you haven't done so
lately, check out
Sun World Seasonal Shots
to see photos of Sun World
varieties from commercial
orchards and vineyards as
well as new varieties from our
Commercial Test Blocks.
Fall-season shots are now
posted, including
Suplumthirtyfour
(pictured left), a new
plum with outstanding
flavor that
ripens in mid-October in
Bakersfield, CA. |
