KENT, U.K. - Beautiful things happen when innovative companies come together in the name of fresh produce. In the case of Malling Cherry Ventures, this could not be more true. England-based NIAB EMR, its funding partner Berry Gardens Growers (BGG), and the Associated International Group of Nurseries (AIGN®), whose founding member is Brandt’s Fruit Trees—whose overarching company is Property Variety Management—came together nearly two years ago with the aim to develop cherry varieties of outstanding fruit quality that are adapted to intensive orchards. Named Malling Cherry Ventures, the collaboration promotes cherry selections released by the NIAB EMR breeding program via AIGN’s worldwide network of nursery companies and commercialization programs.

According to a press release, a number of elite crosses derived from the breeding program will be distributed amongst the Malling Cherry Ventures partners in the near future in order to begin evaluation of the cultivars throughout the world.

NIAB EMR is recognized as an expert in fruit genetics and plant breeding, a reputation earned through more than a century of studying fruit trees, other fruit crops, and research to improve fruit crop production. The research station at East Malling, U.K., is well known in the horticultural community for its work in the development of controlled atmosphere storage and for its releases of dwarfing rootstocks of apples. Known as the Malling Series, and followed by the Malling Merton series, these growth-controlling rootstocks revolutionized orchard structure in the 1980s and are now the main rootstocks used in orchards around the world.

BGG is a grower-owned cooperative providing sales and marketing services to its members. It is one of the largest horticultural cooperatives in the U.K. with grower-members located in all the principal growing regions. Originally specializing in berries, BGG now includes substantial areas of cherries within its membership and is driving innovation throughout the industry. BGG financially supports the cherry breeding program at East Malling and promotes its selections to its growers.

Outside of the United Kingdom, AIGN employs its extensive network of member-nurseries to test the selections in different cherry growing regions around the world, and then propagate, protect, and promote the selections. AIGN brings to the collaboration the benefit of its trademark database program, Hertha™. Hertha facilitates the tracking of numbered selections in trials, maps the plantings, and collects data and evaluations of the fruit. It also tracks benchmark registrations, holds contracts, and manages timelines for trademark applications and deadlines.

So, what can we expect to see next from this burgeoning cherry venture? Check back with AndNowUKnow to find out.

Property Variety ManagamentNIAB EMR Berry Gardens Growers Associated International Group of Nurseries