With Sun World having bulked up plant material for two of its proprietary varieties over recent years, the U.S.-headquartered fruit breeder is now gearing up to supply much larger quantities into world markets.

Company representatives told www.freshfruitportal.com there would soon be significant volumes of the late green AUTUMNCRISP and sweet black ADORA SEEDLESS brand grapes.

"They have been growing in California for the past two years or so and we’re actually reaching closer to full production this third year, so we’ll have some very substantial volumes out of California," program marketing manager Natalie Erlendson said at the recent London Produce Show.

"They’re also being planted, I would say very aggressively, in all of the major grape-growing regions."

Licensing vice president for Australia, Garth Swinburn, said plant material for the two branded grapes had been received into Europe, South Africa, Australia and Chile a couple of years ago.

"It takes a few years before we really start to get some commercial plantings," he explained.

"We’ve exported AUTUMNCRISP and ADORA SEEDLESS this year in reasonable quantities from South Africa, but it’s at very early stages."

"This is beginning of commercial production. Next year they’ll take a big step."

While the grapes will be shipped into a wide range of markets, Erlendson said some would be very 'natural fits'.

"If we look at an Asian market that likes a dark berry with a heavy bloom on it and a sweet flavor, ADORA SEEDLESS fits that’s profile extremely well," she said.

"Likewise, the timing for AUTUMNCRISP from California fits well within a window where here in the U.K. they’re looking for a good green seedless grape that can really delight and surprise.

"Right now there are a lot of public varieties that have been around for a long time that are very neutral in flavor and maybe don’t offer the same eating experience, and this is a variety that can fill that particular demand."

Another grape Sun World has in the pipeline will be sold under the SONERA SEEDLESS brand name, and expectations are high it will perform well in the marketplace.

"That’s a grape we’re garnering a lot of interest for because it’s a grape that colors naturally and develops a nice deep cherry red color to it," Erlendson said.

"It also has a very sweet flavor profile, it’s very palatable, and very grower-friendly as well, so that’s something that’s being assessed by marketers at this time."

www.freshfruitportal.com