Next year, the German retailer, Edeka, will offer the new SQ159 apple variety. They will do so exclusively under the name Magic Star. The Frutania and Obst vom Bodensee growers produced this innovative variety for Edeka's regional distribution centers. These centers are located in the Rhein-Ruhr and Südwest areas of Germany. Fresh Forward Marketing BV is this variety's license holder. This company gave this apple's exclusive cultivation and trading rights to the parties concerned.
SQ159 Magic Star will be marketed under the "Mein Land" label in the Rhein-Ruhr region. At Edeka Südwest, it will be sold under the "Unsere Heimat" name. With this, the retail group is appealing to its customers' wishes. Consumers wanted to, as far as possible, buy regionally-cultivated fruit and vegetables. People are more inclined to actually try a variety if it is a strong regional brand. This is what Edeka said in a short statement.
The retailer goes on to say there is a wide range of cooperation. This cooperation means the entire supply chain will benefit from this new apple variety; they go on to say. The SQ159 variety comes from a Wageningen University breeding program. Consumer surveys about new cultivation varieties are done. In them, this variety has, thus far, remained steadfastly among the top three. This apple has a high score when it comes to shelf life and disease resistance.
Source: Obstbau