Angus Soft Fruit's Ava Star strawberry variety is a winner

The 'Ava Star' strawberry variety won the prize for the best edible variety. It was awarded this honour during the Horticulture Week Business Awards, held in the UK. This strawberry variety is cultivated by Angus Soft Fruits. The breeding branch of this Scottish company developed this new variety. It scores high in the areas of taste and texture, and it has a better shelf life. These strawberries also have higher Brix values (8-10), are disease resistance, and have higher yields. "This variety is already being cultivated on a commercial scale in the United Kingdom for the British retail market. In the Netherlands, we are still fully in the test phase," says Edward van den Eijnden of Angus Soft Fruit Europe. This branch of the company is situated in the Dutch town of Ridderkerk.

Ava Star

"We can build horizontal chain by means of own cultivation. This can lead to the supermarket channel. From our breeding tests, we have come up with three AVA varieties. These are the Ava Star, the Ava Blush, and the Avarosa. The Ava Blush scored well in all respects and is seen as the most promising of the three. All three varieties can already be used for commercial purposes. Other newcomers are still being tested. Here, we want to take on large-scale cultivation", says Edward. "Our colleague, Dave Griffiths, from the parent company, is, as the breeder, this variety's spiritual father. From our Dutch office, agronomist, Johan Nooren, is fully involved with the development of these varieties. Breeding is a long-term commitment. The fact that this variety is already receiving recognition with this award is, of course, wonderful."

De Ava Star, Ava Blush, and Avarosa are now being tested at a Dutch grower. Here, they are being cultivated in a glasshouse. It is expected that this grower will be in production from weeks 31 to 46. Samples have been sent to numerous clients on a weekly basis. They have, up to now, given nothing but positive feedback. "We are looking to further expand. We want several growers to cultivate this variety on scaffolding or in greenhouses," explains Edward.

Angus Soft Fruit Europe has had a sales office for North-West Europe in the Netherlands since 2015. The Scottish parent company, Angus Soft Fruits, has been exclusively delivering soft fruit to British retailers since 1994. They work with growers in the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Morocco, Egypt, South Africa, and North and South America. There are nine people employed at the Dutch sales office.

For more information:
Edward van den Eijnden
Angus Soft Fruits
150 Handelsweg
2988 DC Ridderkerk
Tel: +31 (0) 180 760 403
Edward.vandenEijnden@angussoftfruits.com
www.angussoftfruits.com