Bloom Fresh™ announced that its cherry program is ramping up its R&D efforts and the continued commercialization of its early low-chill cherry varietals. To showcase these advancements, the Global Bloom Cherry team will host more than 100 growers, retailers, and marketers at its International Cherry Open Day in Mequinenza, Spain, one of the main production areas, on May 9 and 10. This program will offer an opportunity to learn more about the program which includes such varieties Cheery Treat™, Cheery Nebula™, and Cheery Cupid™ amongst others.
The event will take place at several test blocks and commercial fields by invitation only. Guests will taste a premium selection of Bloom's Cherry varieties and gain insights about the program that includes super low-chill varieties enabling new countries and regions around the world to grow cherries successfully for the first time.
At the event, Bloom's international cherry commercial manager, Alwyn van Jaarsveld, and Antonia Sánchez-Labbé, international technical manager for cherries, will discuss the expanded R&D efforts for the fruit.
This program will offer an opportunity to learn more about the program which includes such varieties Cheery Treat™, Cheery Nebula™, and Cheery Cupid™ amongst others.
"Instead of the majority of cherries being grown in just a handful of regions, we are expanding the world's cherry crops by allowing new locations to grow and harvest low-chill cherries," says van Jaarsveld. "If only a few places are growing cherries and inclement weather hits that region, it can affect the entire cherry crop, affecting supply and quality and hurting the category. However, by expanding the regions where cherries can grow, such as Mexico, Western Australia, and Peru – it creates more favorable conditions for growers, retailers, and consumers."
Growing cherries has become more challenging with rising temperatures and drier conditions in many parts of the world, and Bloom's low-chill cherry program helps growers harvest cherries with fewer "chill hours" during the winter.
"Our low-chill cherries are harvested early, meaning they are the first cherries consumers see, taste, and provide the make-or-break experience that will entice them to return for future purchases," said Sánchez-Labbé.
Bloom uses modern technologies (non-GMO) to select the genetic material for use in the breeding program. This allows the weeding out of weaker progeny to ensure robust, hardy varieties that are grower-friendly, more disease-resistant, and can withstand the rigor of hot, dry summers while still producing a good crop.
"We have amazing varieties, but we are focused on making sure growers have all they need to create successful cherries," said Sánchez-Labbé. "Our goal is to combine good growing sites, certified trees, clean wood, excellent rootstock, and our good varieties before adding technologies to produce bigger and better fruit and higher yields whilst withstanding a more adversarial climate."
For more information:
Eva Andrio Rizo
Bloom Fresh
Tel: +34 638 72 01 37
[email protected]
www.bloomfreshglobal.com