BLOOM FRESH, one of the world’s largest fruit breeding companies, announced new main licensees in China after holding its first open field day in Yunnan and Sichuan, China, and showcasing its table grape portfolio. 

New industry partnerships with Yu Qian (Shanghai) Agricultural Technology Development Co. Ltd., Shenzhen Pagoda Seed Industry Co., Ltd., Chuan Gao (Guangzhou) Agriculture Co., Ltd., and Frutacloud Co, the organization reports, "will open up the opportunity for more growers around China to license protected plant varieties, offering them the opportunity to join up with BLOOM FRESH and benefit from their collective technical expertise and investment into marketing and brand development."

The company is responsible for renowned table grape varieties such as IFG Six (SWEET SAPPHIRE), IFG Seven (COTTON CANDY), IFG Ten (SWEET GLOBE), and Sheehan 21 (IVORY), and works with table grape growers around the world to license its varieties while providing technical, marketing, quality and legal support to help growers deliver more value and better returns for their farming operations.

David Smith, General Manager of BLOOM FRESH China, says that BLOOM FRESH has a long and proud history of supporting growers with grape and cherry varieties that offer greater value and growth than traditional options openly available to the marketplace.

"By working with our new Main Licensees, we aim to create a triple-win that benefits not only our company but also, growers and the communities we work within, ensuring that growers across China can access the same advantages that our global licensees have enjoyed for many years,” he adds.

Smith was also firm when it comes to infringement. “Alongside our licensees, we remain committed to protecting the rights of those planting our varieties legally, taking firm action against any infringements.  This commitment underscores the value of partnering with BLOOM FRESH to build a healthier, more sustainable future for everyone involved.”

To protect its intellectual property and the interests of its licensees, BLOOM FRESH is actively taking legal action against nurseries and growers using its proprietary varieties and trademarks without authorization.

It has initiated administrative actions, raids, civil litigations and online take down procedures. In the last 2 years, BLOOM FRESH has successfully concluded enforcement cases in Yunnan, Jiangsu, Shaanxi, Hebei and Guangdong, with offending parties facing financial penalties and being ordered to remove any illegal vines.

SWEET SAPPHIRE

BLOOM FRESH is putting a particular focus on the plant variety rights of proprietary grape IFG Six or SWEET SAPPHIRE and will continue to clamp down on any growers or nurseries who are growing this variety without a license. Infringers illicitly gain advantages through stolen intellectual property and create unfair competition for BLOOM FRESH’s legitimate licensees, who pay for the use of BLOOM FRESH’s intellectual property rights.

Poor-quality infringing fruit negatively affects the market for high-quality, licensed fruit, impacting prices for the legal growers. Infringers do not receive authorized plant material or the benefit of BLOOM FRESH™’s technical support and quality assurance systems. Infringing fruit also deceives consumers, as the quality does not align with BLOOM FRESH™’s strict specifications for licensed fruit.

In China, BLOOM FRESH has secured plant variety rights for 16 table grape varieties and many registered trademarks including COTTON CANDY, SWEET SAPPHIRE, and SWEET GLOBE.

*Photo courtesy of BLOOM FRESH