TSBC partners with Berrytech on new raspberry variety

The Summer Berry Company (TSBC) has signed a deal with Italian breeder Berrytech to grow and distribute its Amalia Rossa raspberry variety.

The partnership grants TSBC the exclusive right to market Amalia Rossa grown in Portugal within the UK and Republic of Ireland. As part of the agreement, TSBC will also establish a minimum of 75 per cent of new planting area for the variety in Portugal and may also sub-licence production with third-party producers within the country.

With this collaboration, TSBC becomes Berrytech’s preferred producer and marketer of the Amalia Rossa variety. In addition to holding, on an exclusive basis, the right to sell Amalia Rossa grown in Portugal to British and Irish retailers, TSBC will also sell Amalia Rossa grown in Portugal to European markets and the Middle East.

According to TSBC, Amalia Rossa, originally known as BP190, is recognised as “prolific, with great flavour and very good shelf-life, its quality and colour, along with its uniform size throughout the season, setting it apart from other varieties”.

The company said the Atlantic coastal climate in the southwest of Portugal, where TSBC produces around 150ha of raspberries, is optimal for the production of the variety.

“Amalia Rossa was one of the many varieties we tested, and it stood out for its many qualities, so we decided to fast track its development,” said João Alves, head of growing, at TSBC Portugal.

Diego Ioriatti, R&D director & breeding chief at Berrytech, commented: “Amalia Rossa proved to be a game-changing variety from the very start. Its combination of high productivity, strong plant vigour, resistance to major raspberry diseases, and consistent fruit size along with quality throughout the picking season, is truly exciting.

“These positive features have yet to be surpassed by any of the newer selections from Berrytech’s breeding programme itself”.

With this partnership, Amalia Rossa becomes part of the variety portfolio at TSBC. The company said it plans to further enhance the attributes of the variety; by growing it within an environmentally sustainable production system which includes water stewardship, enhanced biodiversity, zero fruit waste, and a carbon net zero objective to be achieved by 2030.

TSBC and Berrytech are already collaborating on the development of new varieties. This gives TSBC the opportunity to test new varieties, to grow and commercialise not only in Portugal, but also in other territories.