Bakersfield, CALIFORNIA USA – Two leading South African producer-exporters have formed a marketing joint venture – Suiderland/New Vision – and received a license to market grape varieties developed by Sun World International LLC, Sun World Vice President of International Licensing Johan Jooste announced here this week.
New Vision is an export company owned by Piet Karsten and Suiderland Plase is a grower, packer, exporter company owned by the Neethling and du Preez families. Both the Neethling and Karsten families are longstanding and leading producers of Sun World grape varieties in South Africa. The venture will be jointly managed by Pieter Karsten Jr. and Steyn Neethling and it will market fruit from their own vineyards as well as from licensed Sun World producers.
The newly licensed joint venture complements four existing South African marketers – Capespan, The Grape Co., Dole South Africa and Green Marketing – in exporting a wide range of seedless grape varieties developed by Sun World.
“Suiderland and New Vision have solid production capacity and keen marketing expertise. Each is recognized internationally, and within South Africa, as accomplished grape specialists and we’re pleased to bring them into the Sun World family of marketers,” Jooste said.
The Suiderland/New Vision joint venture, along with the other four South African marketer licensees, are part of a larger international network of 20 marketing companies licensed to handle Sun World grape varieties, including Peviani, DiDonna and Apofruit (Italy); El Ciruelo (Spain); Vale de Rosa (Portugal); TALI Grapes (Israel); Perfection Fresh and Grape Exchange (Australia); Dole Chile, Subsole, Unifrutti and Frutera Santa Maria (Chile); and Special Fruit, Katope and VDS (Brazil).
The grapes to be marketed include a wide range of white, red and black seedless varieties developed at Sun World’s California-based Variety Development Center. The fruit is sold under private trademarks and brands such as MIDNIGHT BEAUTY®, SCARLOTTA SEEDLESS® and SABLE SEEDLESS®. These products join the company’s flagship Sugraone variety grape that is marketed by Sun World and its licensees under the SUPERIOR SEEDLESS® trademark.
Its new variety development work focuses on a full range of fresh grapes with extraordinary characteristics such as enhanced flavor, distinctive taste, larger berries and clusters, earlier and later ripening times and availability, and increased productivity. The California company also develops new plums, peaches, apricots and nectarines for its own production and for other growers to produce under license. Similar stonefruit marketer appointments have been made in
Chile, Australia and South Africa, as well as in Europe, Israel and elsewhere.
Sun World has established a fruit licensing program that involves more than 1,000 producers and leading marketing companies in most of the world’s major fruit-growing regions. Sun World, a longstanding U.S.-based producer and marketer of fresh fruit, operates one of the world’s largest table grape and stonefruit breeding programs. Since its inception in the mid-1970s, the Company’s Variety Development Center has released more than 70 new varieties with improved flavor, size, color, shelf-life and extended seasonality. In addition to production on its own California properties, Sun World and/or its licensees grow these proprietary varieties in Australia, New Zealand, North America, Europe, South America, Israel and South Africa.
Sun World is a leading innovator in the research, production, distribution and promotion of fresh produce. The Company maintains integrated agricultural operations throughout central and southeastern California. More information about Sun World is available at www.sun-world.com.
Source: Sun World
