The Summer Berry Company is scaling up production of its new raspberry variety, Amalia Rossa, after its successful launch last year. The Odemira-based company, which holds the exclusive rights to market the variety developed by Italian breeder Berrytech, says it plans to plant 70ha in 2024, giving a commercial volume of around 1,000 tonnes.

Genetics director Joe de Ruse says the variety is attracting considerable interest from retailers. “The ones who trialled it are asking for more, and even some who didn’t want to try it,” he tells Fruitnet. “But while volumes are limited, the markets we’re really focusing on are the UK, Ireland, as well as Germany and France.”