As the first container of new season New Zealand Sassy™ touches down at the Guangzhou Port, Global License holders, Next Generation Apples (NGA), has announced a Strategic agreement with Shenzhen SVM Ltd. (SVM) as part of their global marketing strategy for year-round supply of their IP varieties.
The partnership will give SVM licensing rights for Sassy and the latest release, Posh™ in Greater China, allowing them to recruit growers and market the two varieties in the region. “This partnership gives us the ability to service a key market for Sassy in the counter season for Southern Hemisphere Licensees, with strong program management to protect the value as we expand,” says Evan Heywood, CEO of NGA.
“We’ve been happy with how our test trees have responded to the climate in China and are confident we’ll produce great tasting Sassy here. We’ll be planting our first commercial volumes in 2027. As local partners, we have the responsibility and vested interest to protect the IP of these varieties and carefully manage the expansion to ensure demand stays ahead of supply. We have oversight over the whole process, from nursery, through to marketing which ensures the brand is protected throughout the process," says SVM Managing Director John Morton.
Sassy’s signature block red hue in New Zealand.
Sassy and Posh are two of the latest apples to come out of New Zealand’s Plant and Food Research (PFR), commercialized by Prevar New Zealand. Next Generation Apples own the global licensing rights (excluding Australia), a collaboration between multi-generational New Zealand-based growers Taylor Corp and Golden Bay Fruit.
Sassy, ‘the sweet thing with zing’ is a striking block red apple with a dense hard crunch inherited from its Scifresh parentage, with a quirky conical shape and an unforgettable attitude. NGA’s latest release, Posh, is elegant, crisp and honey-kissed, a ‘New Zealand glass of bubbly in apple form’ with HoneyCrisp and Sciros parentage giving Posh a delicate texture and classic round shape.
NGA have already signed a similar license agreement with Top Fruit in South Africa and are in conversations with companies in other key growing regions. New Zealand volume is also ramping up, with 20 containers this year heading to key customers across Greater China, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia as well as the local New Zealand market.
For more information:
Eleni Hogg
Next Generation Apples
Email: eleni@goldenbayfruit.com
www.sassyapples.co.nz