Univeg Katopé UK has announced that it has signed an exclusive agreement with France-based COT International, a company that researches and distributes new fruit varieties, to trial two new varieties of sweet cherry in the UK.
The varieties, Frisco and Rocket, were originally bred in California and are both early-ripening cultivars that have shown positive results in other countries, particularly Spain.
According to Univeg Katopé, the new agreement gives it exclusive rights to test the varieties in the UK, and the right to sign an exclusive commercial license if the tests prove successful.
“We are delighted to partner with Univeg Katopé UK, one of the leading players in the UK cherry market, to develop these new varieties,' said COT's Marie-Laure Etève. 'They have excellent customer and grower relationships and their technical expertise will help produce high quality, early season cherries in the UK.'
Richard Isaacs, from Univeg Katopé UK, explained: “We are delighted to be announcing another exclusive deal that demonstrates our commitment to the cherry sector in the UK. We first saw Frisco and Rocket in Spain a few years ago, and our customers were excited about the step-change in early season fruit quality.
'These varieties produce bold, dark, sweet fruit, and they are both ripening early in the season,' he added. 'We have produced the first trees on Gisela rootstocks and supplied them to our UK growers for planting this Spring. We look forward to seeing how they perform in the UK climate, outdoors, under covers and in poly-tunnels.”
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