Portuguese berry grower group Bfruit has entered into an agreement with Belgium-based distributor Special Fruit to market the popular raspberry varieties Kwanza and Kweli. 

The deal was signed yesterday at Fruit Logistica in Belrin, in the presence of Portuguese Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development Luis Capoulas Santos.

The groups will collaborate with Portuguese company Multiberry, a joint venture between Special Fruit and Gijs Hoogendoorn, which is the exclusive license holder for the cultivars in Portugal.

Gijs Hoogendoorn is the owner of  the Portuguese berry production and plant propagation company First Fruit in Odemira.

"In this new collaboration Multiberry will be the exclusive supplier of Kwanza and Kweli plants and will also continue to play its role of testing new soft fruit varieties under Portuguese conditions and licensing them to high-quality berry growers," Special Fruit said in a release.

"Both partners aim to recruit at least 100 hectares of Kwanza and Kweli growers by 2018. Together with the creation of a new berry production company – United Berries – near Odemira, Bfruit’s total production area will increase to approximately 250 hectares across Portugal.

"Special Fruit will gain access to large, year round volumes of the highly popular raspberry varieties Kwanza and Kweli and will provide Bfruit access to new export markets for its other products."

Kwanza and Kweli come from Dutch breeder Advanced Berry Breeding (ABB).

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