Culdevco acts as the commercialisation and marketing agent for the Agricultural Research Council in South Africa, advancing ARC-bred (Agricultural Research Council) deciduous fruit cultivars from research to commercial orchards.
The company focuses on intellectual property protection, regional testing, and market pathway development to support adoption by growers. According to general manager Mishkaat Anderson, varietal advancement requires coordination between breeding, evaluation, and commercial rollout.
"We identify these selections and protect them from an intellectual property point of view. We test them under all commercial conditions and build a strong pathway so that growers can adopt them with confidence."
Culdevco operates within a framework that includes profitability, adaptability, and sustainability. The objective is to supply cultivars aligned with market demand and export performance, adapted to different South African growing regions, and developed for disease tolerance and long-term orchard management.
The process includes collaboration with scientists, evaluators, plant improvement entities, and trade partners. The ARC manages breeding, genetics, and research functions, while Culdevco oversees grower trials, market access, and rollout strategies.
"There cannot be a silo approach; our collaboration with the ARC is very close," Anderson said.
Among the selections currently in commercial pathways are stone fruit cultivars Ruby Sun, African Delight, and Ruby Star, as well as the Cheeky pear. These selections have moved through testing and evaluation stages before introduction to growers.
The company's approach aims to ensure that promising selections from research facilities are assessed across commercial conditions before reaching the planting stage. "We translate scientific potential into practical, profitable solutions for the deciduous fruit industry," Anderson concluded.
Culdevco reports more than 20 years of involvement in varietal commercialisation within South Africa's deciduous fruit sector.
Source: FoodForMzansi
