Bakersfield, California USA – Sun World International LLC today announced the formation of “Sun World Innovations,” a new entity to shepherd and drive growth of its fruit breeding/variety development, licensing, international investments and agriculture technology pursuits, Sun World Chief Executive Officer Merrill Dibble said.
Sun World Executive Vice President David Marguleas will also serve as President of Sun World Innovations.
In addition to its own California farming activities, the 40-year-old Bakersfield, California-based Sun World operates one of the world’s leading fruit breeding programs and licenses its Intellectual Property to many hundreds of producers and marketers around the world. The Company's variety development staff is based in Bakersfield and focuses on developing new proprietary varieties of table grapes and stonefruit, while the licensing team maintains offices in California, as well as in Europe, South America, South Africa and Australia.
In addition to guiding Sun World’s own Intellectual Property and licensing activities, Sun World Innovations will guide the broader agricultural, technology, and international interests of Renewable Resources Group (RRG), the Los Angeles-based firm that acquired the California grower-shipper in August 2013.
“Crop input, water, harvest and labor efficiencies, along with fruit and vegetable breeding, are among the opportunities that Sun World Innovations will explore,” Marguleas said.
"Sun World Innovations will harness its deep, hands-on horticultural knowledge and expertise in existing and new ag technologies, and the international licensee platform we’ve built with growers and marketers around the world, to provide innovative solutions to real challenges faced by the ag sector worldwide,” Marguleas said. "Sun World's industry-leading agronomic skills, coupled with our owner’s expertise in the sustainable water, agriculture and energy sectors, make for a powerful combination to achieve this."
"The opportunities in agriculture today are both exciting and promising," said RRG Co-Founders Cole Frates and Ari Swiller. "In creating Sun World Innovations, the Company is focusing a talented, dedicated team on initiatives crucial to making the most of them, just as Sun World has for decades."
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 countless 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.
Renewable Resources Group (RRG) owns, operates and develops agricultural, water and renewable energy assets and companies both domestically and internationally.
Source: Sun World International LLC