May 2, 2022 | By fruitgrowersnews.com

International Fruit Genetics (IFG) breeding programs could change the cherry growing industry and help it adapt to a changing climate.

The fruit breeding company’s new low-chill cherries could change how growers grow cherries and drive demand by adapting to new consumer preferences.

Known for its Cotton Candy and Sweet Globe table grape varieties, the Bakersfield, California-based IFG is giving more attention to cherries.

“Cherries are such a special fruit,” said Alwyn van Jaarsveld, IFG’s international commercial cherry manager. “It’s something that takes a lifetime to get right.”

Compared to other fruits, like apples, cherry production is smaller, with a corresponding focus on breeding programs.

April 8, 2022 | By Motherhood Moment

If you watch people in a store while they buy fruit, you’ll note they can’t resist the allure of the cherry. It seems to be magnetic. Perhaps it is the look of the fruit: plump, shiny, ruby-red. Or, it might because they eat so easily, bite-sized with a perfect little green handle by which to dangle them. Maybe our palate knows what to expect? We love their crunch and we don’t mind a little tartness as long as they’re juicy and sweet. We don’t even mind the fact that they’re not seedless and we have to spit out a stone.

March 27, 2022 | BY JOHN COX This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Help is on the way for Kern County cherry growers slammed in recent years by warmer winters and hotter springs.

Breeders including locally based IFG are working on new cherry varieties that ideally require fewer "chill hours" during the course of a winter. The intent is also to spin off trees with fruits that ripen on an earlier schedule, potentially offering local growers a time advantage, and breeds that are less susceptible to stress damage from soaring temperatures in May and early June.

But there's more to it. The fruit must also have the firm texture consumers demand, good flavor, an attractive appearance and the ability to withstand weeks in a shipping container bound for Asia.

March 24, 2022 | By TOM KARST

The Packer’s Tom Karst interviewed Andy Higgins, CEO of Bakersfield, Calif.-based IFG, in February about trends in grape variety breeding and new introductions from the company in recent years.

Higgins said that proprietary fruit breeders such as IFG, Sun World and others are increasingly important in new variety introduction.

“The levels of investment that are required to create a new variety are going to be increasing over time,” he said. “There are so many technologies that we can apply to our work. Something that used to take 20 years, we could probably do it in 10 years because of good molecular techniques. However, all of those techniques take time, resources and money, which the private programs are in a better position to fund and develop them (compared to) public programs.”

March 22, 2022 | By Fruitnet.com

The international table grape industry came together on 17 March for the online Global Grape Congress, streamed live in two separate parts from Melbourne and London.

Focusing on the Asian market, the first part included discussions on India, Australia's export growth, South African promotions on the Chinese market and Korea's retail sector

Nitin Agrawal of India's Euro Fruits stated that the domestic market was a big untapped opportunity for the Indian table grape industry.

'We see a huge change in the coming years in the domestic market, which will favour branded grapes,' he said. 'India's grape industry lacks new varieties. It will take some time for them to come in – partly due to industry fragmentation. But we expect this to improve in the coming years, providing premium opportunities.'

March 8, 2022 | By foodengineeringmag.com

AM FRESH Group and Special New Fruit Licensing (SNFL) announced a definitive agreement under which AM FRESH is acquiring International Fruit Genetics (IFG) and merging it with SNFL, creating a combined company that significantly advances SNFL’s and IFG’s abilities to develop further their breeding capacities and add to their portfolio to address industry demand. AM FRESH will be the controlling shareholder of the combined entity, with significant minority investment from EQT Future and continued investment from Paine Schwartz Partners.

The combined company will accelerate varietal breeding, development and commercialization, benefiting licensed growers, partners and consumers with more sustainable alternatives and improved varietal options. Together, AM FRESH, SNFL and IFG will propel innovation at large, ease production management for growers and facilitate commercialization to retail partners in order to deliver innovative varieties to consumers on a year-round basis.

January 31, 2022 | By Fresh Plaza

Last week, an article was published about IFG’s cherry breeding activities on the African continent. Around the same time the company brought cherries to South Africa, it also planted the first table grapes and has continued to expand its selection of varieties since then. “We started planting table grapes in South Africa in 2011, Namibia in 2012, followed by Egypt in 2017,” says De Witt Kamfer, IFG’s Technical Manager for Africa & Middle East.

Although breeding is done exclusively at the company’s Research & Development facility in California, evaluation of the developed grapes is done in the different African countries. “We focus on evaluating our varieties in different microclimates in each country,” commented Kamfer. “With its wealth of climate zones, South Africa has several different table grape production areas. However, not all varieties will be successful in all areas.”

January 25, 2022 | By FreshPlaza.com

Since its inception in 2001, IFG has focused on breeding table grapes and cherries that provide an incredible eating experience. The company is headquartered in Bakersfield, California, but wants their varieties to be enjoyed by consumers around the world. “Right from the start of the company, IFG focused on breeding cherries for warmer climates,” says Alwyn van Jaarsveld, International Cherries Commercial Manager. “With that strategy in mind, we brought our first cherries to Africa more than ten years ago, knowing that developing new varieties takes time,” he added.

The logical place to start was South Africa, as it has a wealth of climate zones, an abundance of resources, infrastructure, and labor, as well as an entrenched fruit industry. “South Africa’s fruit industry not only supplies locally but also regionally and abroad.” While IFG’s licensed nursery is based in the Western Cape, varieties are being trialed from the Western Cape in the South to Limpopo in the North.

January 06, 2022 | Pablo Gómez, International Quality Assurance Manager for Table Grapes at IFG

A fast-paced industry already familiar with navigating unpredictable conditions and forecasting market demand, the agricultural sector never slowed down, even in the worst times of the pandemic.

However, that’s not to say the journey was without any roadblocks: COVID-19 brought a wave of challenges with everything from labor to logistics. Yet, as consumer interest in fresh produce increased by more than 10 percent in 2020, fruit suppliers, scientists, horticulturists, and growers are overcoming these setbacks to usher in a new period of efficiency and innovation.

December 28, 2020 | By CHRIS KOGER

As table grape variety innovations continue, so will consumption and the production needed to satisfy consumers’ demand for diverse and flavorful fruit.

The same innovation that’s driving changes in the apple category, with consumers leaving traditional varieties behind in favor of newer, managed varieties, is happening to a degree in the table grape industry, according to Andy Higgins, CEO of table grape breeder International Fruit Genetics (IFG), Bakersfield, Calif.

Higgins recently shared predictions for the industry for 2021 and beyond, and it’s clear that consumer preferences are changing.