T&G Global has become the license holder of a suite of 16 proprietary blueberry varieties in Australia, allowing it to better deliver to growing demand for berry fruit worldwide.
The exclusive agreement represents one of the biggest collections of proprietary commercial and pre-commercial blueberry varieties in the world and is the result of an agreement between T&G and Plant & Food Research in New Zealand. The arrangement includes varieties developed by Plant & Food Research and a collection of premium varieties from Fall Creek Farm and Nursery in Oregon, USA, for which Plant & Food Research holds the Australian licensing rights.
T&G’s Executive General Manager International, Sarah McCormack says T&G currently trades large volumes of berries from North and South America, New Zealand and Australia and is a grower in its own right. “T&G now has the exclusive rights to grow 16 of Plant & Food Research and Fall Creek varieties in Australia which we are very excited about,” she says. “Fall Creek is a significant global player in blueberry breeding and propagation, and Plant & Food Research have had some real success in breeding blueberries for temperate climates.” This new agreement will allow T&G to drive further growth in one of its key categories and key markets through managing the supply chain from plant propagation to plant distribution and marketing. “Our new arrangement allows T&G to expand our footprint for berries in Australia,” Sarah continues. “The portfolio includes Northern and Southern highbush varieties, as well as Rabbiteye which will suit a range of growing climates and market windows. This new suite will allow us to grow for, and export from Australia, which complements our existing growing and marketing operations in New Zealand. There is a good mix of varieties which are proven internationally, and we also have some really promising varieties which are yet to be commercially released.”
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