US-based Sun World International has announced the opening of new offices in Europe.
Sun World Europe will allow the company to expand its new fruit variety development and licensing programmes, and Californian-bred seedless grapes, plums, apricots and peaches will become more readily available to growers and marketers throughout Europe as a result of the move, the company said.
The office will be based in the Italian fruit-growing region of Emilia-Romagna, Cesna, Italy, and will be managed by newly-appointed regional licensing manager Maurizio Ventura.
It will service the Spanish, Italian and French fruit industries and represents Sun World’s fourth international operation.
The new European presence supports and solidifies Sun World’s global strategy of aggressively exploiting and protecting its fruit varieties and related intellectual property rights, according to senior vice president David Marguleas: "Many of our new fruit varieties are well suited for production in Europe, particularly in Italy and Spain,” Marguleas said. “Our Sugraone seedless grape is already produced in Europe and its fruit is sold throughout the European Continent and the United Kingdom. We have countless other new seedless grapes, as well as distinctive plums, apricots and peaches, that are well-suited for production in Europe’s Mediterranean regions and that should enable retailers throughout the European community to more readily access and promote our varieties.
“Maurizio Ventura has a strong agricultural and technical background and a keen appreciation for the extra value created from managed varieties. As Sun World strives to expand its varietal portfolio on the European Continent, I am confident that our producer-marketer licensees will benefit from Maurizio’s knowledge and local presence,” he added.
