Angus Soft Fruits officially launches new AVA raspberries

Angus Soft Fruits has officially unveiled two new raspberry varieties that it says “move the needle in terms of quality and economics”.

After years of trials and development, the Scottish producer is confident the new primocane raspberries, AVA Monet and AVA Dali, represent a significant breakthrough in the fruit’s cultivation. It says both varieties offer premium quality, high yield, and sustainability.

A number of UK growers have either moved out of or reduced their raspberry production in the past few years as the cost of growing and picking the fruit has risen.

In response, AVA Monet and AVA Dali have both been developed to be cost-effective and easy to pick, as explained in an FPJ article last year.

Angus Soft Fruits says a central objective in the varieties’ development was to meet the diverse needs of growers, retailers, and consumers – both in the UK and internationally – with a focus on flavour, appearance and shelf life.

According to Angus Soft Fruits, AVA Monet and AVA Dali stand out for their large fruit, attractive appearance, long shelf-life, strong tolerance to disease, and low fruit wastage.

Currently, Angus Soft Fruits is running trials of the two varieties across Europe and Northern Africa with the aim of achieving year-round production. Both are being trialled in England, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Poland, Portugal and Morocco.

“We have been very encouraged by the results in these countries so far, with some quite execptional yields recorded,” said Angus Soft Fruits chairman Lochy Porter.

The supplier also reports promising results from organic trials.

Angus Soft Fruits MD John Gray says the new berries are a “win-win” for both growers and consumers since they are well suited to growing conditions in the UK and internationally, and produce “consistently sweet berries with great flavour and shelf life”. 

The producer’s breeding programme director Lucy Wilkins adds: “These varieties offer a fantastic opportunity to our growers at a time when growing raspberries has been increasingly challenging. These varieties offer higher yields, whilst also meeting very high quality requirements, giving them additional market opportunities.”

To celebrate the launch, Angus Soft Fruits held a special event at East Seaton Farm on the east coast of Scotland attended by international growers, Scottish minister for agriculture and connectivity Jim Fairlie, and a major UK retailer.

The supplier also commissioned food artist Prudence Staite, known for creations such as ‘The World’s Largest Strawberry Crown’, to craft two works using only AVA Monet and AVA Dali raspberries as her medium.

Staite recreated Dali’s ‘Persistence of Memory’ and Monet’s ‘Houses of Parliament’ over the course of four days.

She transformed the raspberries into jams, purées, and coulis, mixing them with whipped cream, double cream, and yogurt to create a palette of different shades and textures. Staite also incorporated whole raspberries “to add intricate details and depth”.