AG Thames has announced an exclusive agreement with world-renowned stonefruit breeder Burchell Nursery to solely import, manage and develop all Burchell varieties throughout Europe and North Africa.
The planting, propagation and marketing agreement, which involves AG Thames' innovation arm Newstairs, will bring a number of new and innovative varieties of peach, nectarine, apricot, cherry and plum to the market.
'This is a wonderful example of how we can streamline the supply chain and bring the latest, greatest and most consistent varieties of stone fruit to our growers’ orchards and our customers’ shelves,' said Ben Clapham, director of Newstairs. 'We recognised this opportunity as a way for AG Thames to be at the forefront of bringing innovation to our grower and customer base.
'With over 30 years of stone fruit breeding and three generations of nursery and farming know-how, Burchell is well versed in creating quality stonefruit that focuses on depth of flavour, consistency and strong shelf life,' he noted.
The agreement follows AG Thames' investment in an exclusive planting, breeding and marketing agreement in the Northern Hemisphere for the Oz series of peaches and nectarines, and adds to its commitment to offer a strong varietal range of good eating stonefruit all year round.
'Working in conjunction with master nursery Pepinieres Escande, Newstairs has Burchell varieties already on trial in Europe and we expect to see commercial plantings as early as 2015,' Clapham added.
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