Bakersfield, CALIFORNIA – Sun World International, LLC has appointed Garth Swinburn as vice president of licensing and Terry Bacon as vice president of variety development, Executive Vice President David Marguleas announced here this week.
The licensing and variety development staffs are part of Sun World Innovations, a division recently launched to harness the company’s Intellectual Property and fruit genetics as well as licensing, new technology ventures and related investments.
Swinburn, who since 2011 has managed Sun World’s Australia and New Zealand fruit licensing business, assumes responsibility for directing the company’s worldwide licensing staff and activities, including offices located in South America, Europe, South Africa, Australia and California. He received his bachelor’s in horticulture science from New Zealand’s Lincoln University, his post graduate diploma in agriculture economics from the University of New England and his master’s in agribusiness from Australia’s University of Queensland. In addition to his Sun World experience, he has an extensive background in horticulture, fruit production, management consulting and Intellectual Property.
Bacon is the company’s director of variety development and he joined Sun World as a fruit breeder in 2000. He has managed the company’s fruit research program since 2008 and will continue to oversee all table grape and stonefruit breeding and variety development. Bacon received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in horticulture and fruit breeding from Texas A&M University where he subsequently worked in that institution’s fruit breeding program. He previously managed his own commercial stonefruit orchard.
The company has also brought Terrence Frett, Ph.D., on board as an assistant fruit breeder working with Bacon in the development of new stonefruit and grape varieties. He was recently awarded his Ph.D. in fruit breeding from the University of Arkansas where he worked under the direction of renowned fruit breeder Professor John Clark. Frett earned his Master of Science in plant breeding and environmental science from Clemson University.
“Sun World has distinguished itself as a leading breeder, grower, marketer and licensor of exceptional fruit varieties,” Marguleas said. “These appointments and promotions underscore Sun World’s commitment to innovation and, along with its licensees, to providing retail customers and consumers around the world with a year-¬?round supply of unique and flavorful branded fruit,” he added. “Terry and Garth are proven leaders in our fruit breeding and licensing business and will be instrumental in helping to further bolster Sun World’s global footprint in grape and stonefruit development. And, we’re looking forward to the many scientific contributions Terrence will make to our variety development program,” Marguleas said.
Sun World develops new fruit varieties sold under various brands including SCARLOTTA SEEDLESS®, MIDNIGHT BEAUTY®, HONEYCOT® and BLACK DIAMOND®. It licenses these brands and others as part of a wide-ranging Intellectual Property portfolio of proprietary grapes and stonefruit to growers and export-marketers throughout South America, North America, South Africa, Australia, Israel and Europe.
Sun World is one of the United States’ leading producers and marketers of table grapes and operates one of the world’s largest grape and stonefruit breeding programs. Since its inception in the early-1980s, the Company’s Variety Development Center has released more than 100 varieties with improved flavor, size, color, shelf-¬?life and extended seasonality. In addition to production on its own California farms, Sun World licenses producers to grow its proprietary varieties in North America, Europe, South America, Australia, the Middle East and South Africa.
Sun World is a leading innovator in the development, production, distribution and promotion of seedless table grapes and stonefruit. It maintains integrated agricultural operations throughout central and southeastern California and licensing offices in South Africa, Europe, Australia, Chile and California. For more information, please visit www.sun-world.com
Source: Sun World
