Sun World Appoints Garth Swinburn As New Australasia Licensing Manager

MILDURA, Victoria, Australia – Sun World International LLC has appointed Garth Swinburn as regional licensing manager for Australia. He replaces Bob Wickson who retired from the post after nine years with the California-based Sun World.

The Company’s regional interests include management of all Intellectual Property rights and seedless grape and stonefruit licensing activities in Australia, New Zealand and China.

Swinburn, who has extensive experience in horticulture across a wide range of crop types, since 1996 has been an independent horticulture consultant based in Mildura and servicing clients throughout Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales and Western Australia.

Sun World’s Australian office was opened in 2002 to manage Sun World’s Intellectual Property rights and licensing activities throughout Australia and New Zealand. In addition to the Australasia business, and its core presence in California, the Company maintains international operations in Mexico, South Africa, Europe and Chile.

Sun World has introduced dozens of new seedless grapes as well as plums, peaches, apricots and nectarines to Australian and New Zealand producers and nurseries. Within Australia, the Company has licensed leading fruit marketers such as Grape Exchange, Perfection Fresh, Montague’s and Holman Fresh, while in New Zealand it works with Yummy Fruit Co. and Fresh NZ 2000. These six licensed marketers, and several dozen licensed producers in both countries, join more than 30 other licensed Sun World marketers and 950 licensed producers around the world.

“Australasia remains a critical supply point for our international licensing business – particularly as it relates to the ever-important Far Eastern markets – and our grape and stonefruit varieties are well-adapted to many of Australia and New Zealand’s fruit growing regions,” Vice President International Licensing Johan Jooste said. “Garth brings great technical skills as well as a global produce perspective to Sun World and we’re looking forward to continuing to grow our presence in these significant fruit growing countries,” he added.

Swinburn is responsible for all aspects of the Company’s Australasian operations. He studied horticulture at Lincoln University (New Zealand) and agricultural economics at the University of New England (NSW). A native of New Zealand, Swinburn resides outside of Mildura, Australia with his wife and four children.

Sun World, one of the United States’ leading producers and marketers 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 Research & 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 vineyards and orchards, Sun World and/or its licensees grow these proprietary varieties in North America, Europe, South America, Australia, the Middle East, and South Africa.

Sun World International is a leading innovator in the research, production, distribution and promotion of fresh  produce. It maintains integrated agricultural operations throughout central and southeastern California and licensing offices in South Africa, Europe, Mexico, Australia and Chile. For more information, visit www.Sun-World.com.

Source: Sun World International