Angus Soft Fruits has brought a group of Scottish family-run fruit growers together to launch the first branded strawberry Ava in stores this week and is now seeking a wholesale partner.
The variety is believed to be unique in that it holds its petals, has a distinct aroma. All the fruit is grown in Tayside and Fife by ASF which also holds ownership of the variety. Its season runs from May until October and fruit is being marketed in the premium sections of the Co-op, Morrisons, Tesco and Sainsbury.
"This is our first season full national distribution and we wanted to gauge people's reaction," said grower John Gray who launched the product at the Taste of London show in Regent's Park last weekend. "Several leading figures with discerning palates in the restaurant world have expressed their strong support for Ava so we might very well need to find a wholesale partner."
ASF - the largest soft-fruit marketing desk in Scotland - expects to produce 1,500 tonnes of Ava, equivalent to 6.5 million 227g punnets. "IT is a challenge for us to deal with the demand, but it is a nice problem to have," said Gray.
The fruit is named after the woman who grew the original 120,000 seedlings from which the variety was selected.
The fruit is recognisable by its branded packaging with a heart-shaped strawberry and the strapline: the strawberry with a heart."
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