On the first day of Fruit Attraction, varietal editor Earth Market announced its partnership with Berrynest for the launch of Pink Star®, the new premium raspberry brand, also available organically. With its agronomic and organoleptic qualities, Pink Star aims to establish itself as the first premium raspberry available all year round. Marketing is scheduled to start next month.
Willian Muñoz (Earth Market), Juan Soltero (Berrynest) and Mathilde Paignat (Earth Market)
Pink Star: 1 brand, 2 varieties
Pink Star aims to be "more than a brand" by establishing itself as a genuine "breeding program." Beyond the brand, Pink Star actually represents two varieties: the Pandora (PBR MAR 506) and the Gaïa (PBR MAR 502), developed with French breeder and nursery Marionnet, now known as Marionnet Label. "These new raspberry varieties are the result of more than 100 years of experience, passed on to the current team of breeders at Marionnet Label's C.R.I.V.* in Soings-en-Sologne, France," explains Earth Market. It is in the Huelva region of southern Spain that the two varieties have been evaluated for nearly 6 years by Berrynest growers in collaboration with Marionnet.
Right: Laurent Chausset of Marionnet Label
In order to "guide growers towards optimum production," Earth Market developed the first edition of the Pink Star technical guide in July 2023. Additionally, several research and development projects are already underway, aimed at maximizing the potential of Pink Star plants and introducing innovative solutions.
Pink Star promises
"Firm and melting at the same time," Pink Star meets consumer expectations by promising consistent quality, long shelf life, and year-round availability. But Pink Star is also a "promise of taste." The new raspberry won an award from the International Taste Institute last May in Brussels.
In addition to consumers, Pink Star also aims to appeal to growers, with "excellent results in terms of fruit size and yield per plant, optimizing productivity and profitability."
Steve MacVickers (Agrovision Corp), Mathilde Paignat (Earth Market), and Laurent Chausset (Marionnet Label - breeder of Pink Star varieties) during the launch of Pink Star at Fruit Attraction on October 3rd.
The year-round availability of Pink Star raspberries is possible thanks to the alternation of the two varieties in production, as well as to the second partnership with Agrovision Corp for production in Morocco, destined for the European market.
Surfing the healthy snack trend
With its slogan "Pink your day naturally," Earth Market is banking on the trend for healthy, natural snacks, emphasizing on eating "fruit for pleasure" and making raspberry consumption part of everyday life. At a time when the demand for berries is increasing steadily, Pink Star meets "consumer and client expectations, with a promise of consistent taste and year-round availability."
In the long term, Earth Market intends to continue to capitalize on this trend and does not rule out future development in North America.
For more information:
Mathilde Paignat
Earth Market
Mob.: +41 79 403 16 57
mathilde.paignat@earth-market.com