BerryWorld scores hat-trick at International Taste Institute Awards

Three varieties from UK BerryWorld’s exclusive varietal development portfolio won awards at this year’s International Taste Institute competition in Belgium.

Achieving a top score at the 2024 blind tasting near Brussels, BerryWorld Ruby raspberries – from the BerryWorld Plus programme – were granted a Superior Taste Award with three stars.

Currently grown in the UK, The Netherlands, Portugal, France, Germany and Italy, this latest raspberry release from the BerryWorld stable tickled the tastebuds of the Institute’s panel of professional tasters achieving a near perfect score for its texture, the grower-marketer said.

Meanwhile, BerryWorld’s BEE Honest strawberries, from its Beekers Berries Breeding programme, received a Superior Taste Award with two stars.

Described as “a promising June-bearer”, this new variety is commercially grown in The Netherlands, and scored particularly well on both taste and texture, BerryWorld said.

Masena blueberries, from the Mountain Blue breeding programme, grown by BerryWorld Group and its partners in Europe and Africa, also received a Superior Taste Award with two stars.

Masena blueberries are currently produced by BerryWorld’s dedicated grower base in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Spain and Portugal.

Commenting on this latest achievement, which marks BerryWorld’s 17th International Taste Institute Award win, Samuel Rowe, BerryWorld varieties divisional CEO, said the company was delighted.

“As we celebrate our 30th anniversary this year, these awards recognise our ongoing global strategy to deliver, together with our partners, the best tasting, premium berries; varieties which secure a sustainable future for the industry; assuring yield for the growers and consistently delivering on consumers’ rising quality expectations,” he said.

The International Taste Institute near Brussels in Belgium evaluates food and drink products from around the world. Its panel of prestigious chefs and sommeliers, comprising some 200 professional taste experts from over 20 countries, blind taste products from around the world. The institute’s strict methodology makes its Superior Taste Award the most renowned independent certification worldwide, BerryWorld said.