The cooperative NZ Summerfresh Ltd holds the exclusive New Zealand rights to commercialize NZ Summer series apricots specially bred in New Zealand and has announced the brand names of the first five varieties.
From this season onwards, they will be marketed as Summer Spark, Summer Desire, Summer Charm, Summer Passion, and Summer Blaze.
"Our apricots reflect the very best of New Zealand's summer, which is long-awaited, much appreciated, and enjoyed to the fullest," said NZ Summerfresh chairman Stephen Darling.
"Summer series apricots are a notch above other apricots. They have an exceptionally high flavor with a juicy, almost crisp texture, intense sweetness, and bright color."
In 2022, Plant and Food Research released three cultivars from the series for commercialization following two decades of research and development into breeding varieties suitable for New Zealand's unique growing conditions.
Summer Desire and Summer Charm will soon be commercialized, and early talks are underway for the next generation to be evaluated in the coming years.
Under the terms of its exclusive New Zealand commercial license, NZ Summerfresh can sub-license to third parties such as growers, nurseries, marketers, or distributors, and the resulting fruit can be sold in New Zealand and throughout the world.
NZ Summerfresh Ltd formed a grower's cooperative in 2022 to commercialize the proprietary varieties for export and domestic consumption. It has an open-door policy and encourages summerfruit growers to join and choose from various models (grower-only, grower-packer, and integrated grower-packer-marketer).
Darling has high hopes for the Summer series apricots. Some 15 growers, predominantly in Central Otago, the heartland of apricot production in New Zealand, have grown the apricots under a sub-license from NZ Summerfresh.
"The apricots are under trial in the traditional areas of Central Otago, from Tarras to Alexandra, Waikerikeri, and Manuherikia, as well as some non-traditional areas such as Canterbury and around Christchurch and some trial locations on the North Island."
He said more than 40,000 trees and over 50 hectares of land are being produced, and apricot trees will reach full production by year seven or eight. Some varieties demonstrated distinct growth characteristics.
"Summer Blaze is a nice upright tree which is very grower friendly. We're finding it is ideal to produce a range of cropping wood for repeat cropping. In direct contrast is Summer Passion which is a more free-growing style of tree. We're continually refining our pruning and thinning strategy to suit the different varieties."
Darling added that the aim was to improve yield, ensure trees were easier to manage, reduce costs, and ensure optimal fruit delivered the best eating experience for consumers.
Following the afavorablee blossoming and fruit set period, Darling estimated approximately 250 tonnes of NZ Summer apricots would be produced this summer, with plans to export 140 tonnes and distribute 110 tonnes to the New Zealand market.
For more information:
Stephen Darling
NZ Summerfresh
Tel: +64 27 5899335
Email: [email protected]