Variety Innovation B.V. has announced a significant new partnership with Vivai Milone nurseries in Italy. The announcement was made on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, at Macfrut during the citrus session of the international symposium, "V.I.P. - Varieties International Project".
Peter Turner (Director of Variety Innovation Asia & EU) and Maria Grazia Milone (Production and Sales Manager of Vivai Milone nurseries) at Macfrut 2025.
Variety Innovation B.V. (VI) is a specialist Intellectual Property company based in the Netherlands since 2013. VI holds the exclusive licenses for a number of new exciting citrus varieties within the EU. Founded more than a century ago, Vivai Milone is a prominent nursery company that now boasts the fourth generation of nurserymen in its family.
Left: Peter Turner, Director of Variety Innovation Asia & EU
At the conference, Peter Turner, Director of Variety Innovation Asia & EU, announced that Italian citrus growers will have the opportunity to legally access the Nadorcott variety and the ARCCIT9 selection thanks to the agreement with Vivai Milone. The Nadorcott variety is characterized by a particularly small number of seeds. Access will be granted for a limited number of hectares, based on a selection and enhancement process.
Turner also said that Variety Innovation will collaborate with major commercial partners in the EU to develop and market new varieties of lemons, mandarin oranges, and Navel oranges.
Left: Mid and early maturing blood mandarins. Right: Late-maturing blood mandarins
The new varieties include a range of "blood mandarins", late & ultra late maturing mandarins and late maturing high yielding navel varieties.
ARCCIT 9 is a low seeded, large fruited, Nadocott with EU PBR rights. The variety has seen excellent commercial production results in South Africa where the variety was developed. The selection is extremely stable and produces consistent yields similar to seeded Nadocott orchards.
ARCCIT 9
These varieties enjoy the freedom of global market access due to the global registrations and approved EDV status. The variety offers growers a legal alternative to plant without concerns for cross-pollination of neighbouring orchards.
Maria Grazia Milone, Production and Sales Manager at Vivai Milone nurseries, during her speech
During the joint presentation, Maria Grazia Milone, the production and sales manager at Vivai Milone nurseries, emphasized the strategic value of the partnership. "Being identified as the Italian nursery partner by Variety Innovation aligns with our work philosophy, validates our efforts, and motivates us for future collaborations. Our strength lies in combining tradition and innovation. For us, quality means certified plants, and innovation concerns the production process and varieties. Providing new cultivars that can adapt to different soil and climate conditions and satisfy market demands is essential for our clients and the overall competitiveness of the industry".
Click here for the ARCCIT 9 data sheet.
For more information
Peter Turner
Variety Innovation
Phone: +27 828945938
Email: [email protected]
Maria Grazia Milone
Vivai Milone
Phone: +39 3921036908
Email: [email protected]