We have been breeding new varieties since the mid 90’s.
In our first year, the original AVA™ Strawberry was developed, which was the first strawberry grown in the UK to be sold into Premium lines across the UK Supermarkets.
From humble beginnings of making strawberry crosses under a polythene sheet to now an industry-leading Breeding Programme, producing exclusive varieties for markets around the world, the breeding programme has developed significantly since we released our first variety in 2003.
The primary aim of the AVA™ Berries Breeding Programme is to bring new premium selections to the market that have improved flavour, appearance, shelf life, disease resistance and yield than current varieties.
What’s the difference in our AVA™ Berry Varieties?
AVA™ Berries varieties are truly something special. This collection of varieties offers superior fruit quality, which is appealing for our growers to grow. In our day-neutral strawberry collection, we have AVA™ Blush, which has a very distinctive heart-shaped characteristic and sweet taste. AVA™ Star is a sister variety to Blush, so holds many of the same characteristics but fruits much earlier in the season and is sweet, with a firm but juicy bite and a fresh aroma. AVA™ Rosa is highly flavoured with large conical berries that presents itself well for picking.
In 2023 we added two new Spanish varieties to our short-day collection, AVA Alicia and AVA Catalina. Both varieties give early production in the Mediterranean region with attractive berries, fresh flavours and long shelf life making them suitable for export.
In 2024 we are releasing two late primocane raspberry varieties, AVA™ Monet and AVA™ Dali for production in multiple climatic regions. The major focus in the development of these varieties were yield, crop management and picking costs along with producing premium tier attractive berries with a sweet and juicy flavour.
Lochy Porter
” I grow AVA™ Berries as they provide a point of difference in the market. AVA™ Berries are high yielding and have excellent flavour but most importantly they are economically viable.”
