Greenhouse grower Red Sun Farms, Kingsville, Ontario, will be growing next-generation OZblu blueberries at its Mexico facilities, which promise to deliver a firmer, crunchier and more flavorful berry.
It’s the first agreement to grow the variety in Northern Hemisphere. The agreement with Red Sun, OZblu, licensing company United Exports, and Peru-based precision agriculture company Migivia Group, was announced Feb. 7 at Fruit Logistica in Berlin.
“Being World-Class growers ourselves, it is not every day that one is able to connect and partner with professional and scale grower like Red Sun Farms-Mexico,” Jonathan Geller, CEO of Migiva Group, said in a news release. “Not only do they complete our footprint in Latin America, but they too bring tremendous value in precision agriculture!”
The release did not say when the berries would be available or what markets will receive them, but production of OZblus will be year-round.
“Being able to pivot from precision agriculture in vegetables into a super fruit is an exciting, but an absolute privilege for us to conclude this joint venture agreement with OZblu,” Thierry Legros, managing director of Red Sun Farms-Mexico, said in the release. “For us being part of this family, not only fits well with our company DNA, but is a win-win, and we are delighted to be joining this exciting journey together with OZblu.”
Roger Horak, CEO and founder of United Exports and co-founder of OZblu, said company’s blueberries have the opportunity to lift sales and consumption.
“We strongly believe that if the whole blueberry industry can elevate the consumer eating experience with new varieties of this superfood, it will lead to a transformative uplift and broader consumption for the entire blueberry industry and drive future growth,” Horak said in the release.
