It has been 3 years since the Kara® strawberry made its debut on the French market, and 2025 marks its first major production season. This is an important year for the variety, revealing a clear interest in the French market for this strawberry. This promising new club variety of Italian origin was presented at the last IAD trade show in Bordeaux by Jean-Michel Bourrousse of Sedima (distributor of Tray-plants and mini Tray-plants of this variety).
© Sedima
A club variety with high production potential
Produced under licence, Kara is reserved for members of the Délices Rouges club, a network of approved growers. Two French entities currently hold the licence: one producer and marketer in the southeast of the country and a marketer in the southwest.
"However, independent growers can apply to the club for authorization to grow it if they wish," explains Jean-Michel Bourrousse.
A remontant variety, Kara, is planted in December-January in the southeast, to be harvested from April. "This is a variety with high production potential. In the first round, we approach 700 to 800 grams at harvest for a Tray-plant, and we can exceed 1.2 kilos (cumulative weight) in the second round, knowing that production can continue until the first frosts."
© Sedima
A hardy variety with a long shelf life
But this variety is also promising because Kara has other assets that make it particularly competitive. "It is a variety with excellent tolerance to powdery mildew and less susceptibility to drosophila than most other varieties on the market, which means that we can reduce the use of plant protection products. The fruit is large and red, and it can keep for up to 8 days. It is a strawberry that holds firm even in summer when temperatures are high. This means less loss for the grower, marketer, and consumer alike.
© Sedima But to bring Kara to its full potential, a certain amount of know-how is required. "Kara is like the Ferrari of strawberries. The results can be impressive, but the driver has to be good! So once the grower has understood how to bring out the full potential of the variety, the results are well worth the effort.
"In my 40 years in the strawberry business, I have never seen a variety that combines so many assets: yield, presentation, shelf life, and taste qualities ranging from fair to very good."
For more information:
Jean-Michel Bourrousse
Sedima
100 chemin de Baulac
47320 BOURRAN
Phone: +33 (0)5 53 88 36 00
