Perfection is unattainable; it’s a phrase you’ve likely heard many times—and one that rings true in most cases it is applied to.
For Naturipe Farms’ berry breeding operations, however, perfection is simply the standard. Only once a variety has been deemed perfect by growers, consumers, and retailers alike does it join the supplier’s expansive berry portfolio. The end result? A delicious lineup of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and cranberries with the flavor and consistency to keep consumers confident in their berry purchases.
Naturipe Farms’ berry breeding operations are overseen by Brad Moorer, President and Chief Executive Officer at MBG Marketing, and Ellen Thompson, Global Director of Breeding at Hortifrut. As two of Naturipe’s grower-owners, MBG Marketing and Hortifrut have robust berry breeding programs that supply the Naturipe brand with the delicious, vibrant berries the company has become known for.
Even for experts like Naturipe Farms, breeding the perfect berry isn’t achieved overnight. Instead, delicious berries crafted to meet the needs of both retailers and consumers are the result of a years-long process beginning with in-depth research and consumer studies to develop an understanding of current retail demands.
Jim Roberts, President, recently pulled back the curtain on these tactical efforts to develop only the most delicious, top-quality berries for its partners…
Jim Roberts, President, Naturipe Farms: We’re not just breeding berries with the customer in mind. Our efforts make the berry growing and distribution process easier for everyone involved. At the end of the day, Naturipe is a grower-owned company, so one of our top priorities is and always will be making sure our growers are making a living. We really target their specific needs and put them first—we know without our growers, there won’t be any berries to sell! Then, we ensure our customers get what they want when they need it and follow that up with a great eating experience. This creates a profitable partnership that sustains long-term growth for all parties involved.
JR: Naturipe has three main focuses: the grower, the retailer, and the consumer. Ultimately, we want the berry experience to be the best it can be every step of the way.
Growers, for example, don’t want to waste time and money constantly pulling up and replanting low-quality plants. Their profit margins are slim, and every little bit counts. They care about having a berry and plant that has great longevity, is hardy against adverse weather, and consistently produces excellent, bountiful fruit—which are all factors we specifically breed berries for.
Meanwhile, retailers need berries to last on the shelves in both quality and appearance. Berries, especially in the winter months, may have a long distance to travel between the farms they’re grown on and a shopper’s refrigerator. Naturipe breeds berries that last longer and taste fresher than anything we’ve sold before, which helps retailers have more control over their products.
Finally, we breed berries with the consumer in mind. Until recent years, taste profiles differed so greatly among the same fruit that it was a bit of a gamble what you were getting. Would your blueberries be super sweet or very tart? Would blackberries be very seedy or not at all? Consumers don’t respond well to this unpredictability in quality, and we’ve responded by breeding berries that favor all the qualities consumers love and lack all the qualities they don’t. Whether it’s a just-sweet-enough blueberry or a blackberry with minimal seeds, our breeding makes the eating experience better for all with the intent of driving berry consumption because the consumer is motivated by the eating experience to want to buy more.
JR: In-depth studies help us fine-tune our efforts by monitoring the performance of test crops under real-world conditions. This is a combination of art and science, driven by collaboration between researchers, breeders, and growers.
First, we make sure we fully understand consumer preferences, such as flavor, texture, size, and overall experience. Next, we need to figure out how to best address grower requirements. A berry that consumers will love also needs to be viable for farmers to produce. It should yield sufficient pounds per acre, be resistant to disease and pests, and ideally, thrive in various climates and growing conditions. We also use feedback from our growers, retailers, and customers to identify any pain points in the berry process.
When it’s time to begin working with plants, we combine high-quality cultivars with native species to create hybrids that meet specific needs. Potential cultivators are planted in test plots to evaluate performance and viability. Traits like growth rate, disease resistance, and yield are studied closely. Promising results are usually seen within two to three years. The process isn’t quick, but that’s a good thing. We painstakingly study every possible outcome and trait to make sure we’re truly thrilled with the results. There are quite a few berry varieties that haven’t made the cut!
JR: Crafting a single, perfect variety is a multi-year-long process, so in the coming months and years, we’re planning to continue working on bolstering our efforts in berry breeding. We’re also really looking forward to educating everyone in the Naturipe family—whether they’re growers, retailers, or customers—about what exactly berry breeding is and why it’s a win-win situation for everyone involved.
A win-win situation indeed.
Because of these expert-guided efforts, Naturipe Farms is bringing delicious new berries to the produce department, securing advantages for retailers and growers while ensuring consumers remain captivated with the berry patch.
A force to be reckoned with in the berry breeding space, Naturipe Farms is a prime example of all that can be achieved when we dare to strive for perfection. 
