Seeking to offer consumers a superior eating experience with optimal convenience, Sun World International and Pairwise have formed a joint venture to collaborate in specialty fruit, beginning with the development of a pitless cherry. Sun World will have exclusive commercial rights to the genetics as it seeks a first-to-market position in high-quality pitless cherries, according to a news release.
The companies say the partnership leverages the La Quinta, Calif.-based Sun World’s fruit breeding and licensing expertise with Pairwise’s Fulcrum platform. As part of the agreement, Sun World says it will make strategic investments to fund development.
“Our focus has long been on offering truly differentiated genetics to our growers with exceptional new traits, flavors, texture and convenience,” says Bernardo Calvo, Sun World CEO. “Developing a high-quality pitless cherry is a natural innovation evolution for us and in Pairwise, we’ve found an extraordinary partner already well down this quite complex path.”
Tasty Track Record
The global fruit variety development and licensing company has an established track record of investing in convenience traits in produce, first introducing a smaller and seedless watermelon, driving further enhancements in the seedless grape category and more recently acquiring the variety rights management business responsible for introducing seedless lemons and mandarin varieties promoted at retail under the Cuties, Halos, Peelz and Clemengold brands.
It’s this track record that makes Sun World confident there’s a market for a pitless cherry.
“Through learning from our relationships with supermarket produce buyers, fruit marketers and growers, we take a crop category that’s on an upward consumption trajectory, and then see how it can be enhanced to boost volume,” Calvo told The Packer. “As an example, seedless watermelon and table grapes have eclipsed their seeded counterparts. Cherries are gaining in popularity globally, and we did some consumer research last year with 67% of respondents saying the presence of pits prevents them from purchasing more cherries. Both Pairwise and Sun World believe strongly that a pitless cherry is a need to be met.”
Meaningful Innovation
Durham, N.C.-based Pairwise, which has developed the world’s first seedless blackberry, brings its platform that accelerates the development of in-demand crop traits, the release says. Pairwise says that while traditional breeding involves a lengthy process, this approach creates a faster path to fruits that consumers will enjoy while providing growers with crops that offer greater sustainability, improved disease resistance and higher yields.
“This is a segment of agriculture where there’s tremendous opportunity to bring meaningful innovation,” says Tom Adams, CEO of Pairwise. “Sun World has built one of the most successful commercial pipelines in fruit genetics. Combining that expertise with the precision and efficiency of Pairwise’s Fulcrum platform allows us to address unmet consumer and grower needs in a way that hasn’t been possible before.”
Pairwise will lead the R&D effort, while Sun World contributes its germplasm, breeding infrastructure and commercial market access.
When will consumers get their first taste of the pitless cherry?
“There’s an art as well as a science to varietal development work, but the application of new technologies and advances in science are accelerating this process in a powerful way. It’s a very exciting time to be in this sector,” Adams told The Packer. “We’re estimating five to six years for development, and commercialization within 10 years.”
Co-founded by the inventors of CRISPR, Pairwise’s Fulcrum Platform aims to accelerate the development of climate-resilient, nutritious and sustainable crops. The company says it’s committed to delivering innovation that makes food easier to grow and better to eat.
What was the inspiration for the partnership and the pitless cherry?
“From Sun World’s perspective, collaborations tend to be triggered by our drive to innovate and to offer specialty products that are, well, actually special,” Calvo says. “Our involvement with seedless watermelons, table grapes, mandarins and, most recently, lemons are past proofs of that. We believe consumer eating convenience is highly desirable, and we’re prioritizing that through our association with Pairwise. My colleagues and I at Sun World feel very fortunate to now be aligned with the smart people at Pairwise, who have a proven track record in optimizing convenience, as well as quality. “
The companies say the joint venture is already advancing development work and may explore additional strategic partnerships. In addition to its focus on consumer traits, the collaboration aligns with broader industry efforts to use advanced plant breeding to support sustainable agriculture, reduce waste and create higher-value outcomes for both consumers and producers.
