Last week, Bloom Fresh™ laid the foundation stone for the world's leading technological innovation center, intended for the development of table grape and cherry varieties. In this new facility, located in the municipality of Blanca, in the Spanish region of Murcia, the company is combining traditional manual hybridization with the most advanced molecular technologies. The innovation center will offer the world a new generation of grape and cherry varieties developed in Murcia. Bloom Fresh is a global leader in fruit breeding, devoted to delivering high-quality, sustainable solutions that aim to improve the well-being of consumers around the world. With over 25 years of experience in innovation, Bloom Fresh is using natural hybridization techniques and innovative farming practices to develop new varieties of blueberries, table grapes, raisins, and cherries that can increase grower profitability and consumer enjoyment.
Bloom Fresh is expanding and getting creative. Josep Jove Estiarte, the company's CEO, says that, with health-oriented consumers in mind, they are "going to create the first grape with colored pulp, full of antioxidants. We have been working for 10 years on a range of varieties that will have more antioxidants than blueberries. With them, we will enter the superfruit line. We will be able to show them to the world in the next few years."
© Bloomfresh
In the fruit and vegetable sector, there appear to be endless possibilities for genetics. "With varietal development, we obtain fruit adapted to all climates, soils, and countries; in this way, we can offer consumers better, healthier, locally-grown products," says Estiarte.
In this maelstrom of innovation, Estiarte says that "local genetics play a major role, because that's what's used for improvement. It could be said that the land's strongest genes are the parents of the new varieties."
As far as seeded grapes are concerned, Estiarte says: "We know that seedless grapes are trendy worldwide. Hybridization processes take a long time, and in the 25 years we have been in the sector, doing away with the seeds has been a constant consumer demand."
Another objective of Bloom Fresh is the creation of a cherry with low chilling requirements, capable of growing in Murcia and other areas with warm climates that are not suitable for current cherry varieties. "Most cherry varieties on the market so far have high chilling requirements, and very few are working on developing cherries adapted to areas with fewer hours of cold. We have obtained a number of varieties developed in California with similar conditions, although not as warm as those in Murcia, and we are growing them here to supply cherries to Europe during periods when there is no supply," says the manager.
"Blueberries are typically grown in other parts of Spain. For the time being, there are no such crops in Murcia, but we will be evaluating all possibilities to find varieties able to grow in the climatic conditions here," says Estiarte.
As for the threat of the 50% cut in the Tagus-Segura water transfer, Estiarte says: "Obviously, it is a problem. We will continue to support the regional government as far as we can, because Murcia is a leader in both Spain and Europe in all aspects regarding fruit and vegetable production, and without water, it won't be possible to continue. That is why it is essential to obtain not only varieties that require less water and allow their use to be optimized, but also technological innovations to save water."
In short, the future of table grapes and cherries is being shaped in this new technological innovation center in Murcia, betting on local products with high nutritional value and that "consumers enjoy, which is what matters most," says Estiarte.
© Bloomfresh
For more information:
Bloom Fresh
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https://bloomfreshglobal.com
