International Fruit Genetics (IFG) has announced three new trademark names for its growing Cheery Cherry™ line which currently includes the Cheery Moon™ and Cheery Glow™ cherries.
IFG introduces Cheery Cupid™, patented as IFG Cher-ten. This is a heart-shaped fruit with a sweet-tart taste that will help usher in the cherry season and has a unique and robust taste. While this fruit is one of the more recent introductions, Cheery Cupid is performing well in all test locations. Fruit from commercial orchards will begin to ship in 2023 from Spain and Chile, with cherries from California available in 2024.
There are also two other newly trademarked names in the Cheery Cherry line:
Cheery Cupid™, patented as IFG Cher-ten, is a heart-shaped fruit with a sweet-tart taste that will help usher in the cherry season with its unique and robust taste.
- Cheery Nebula™ (patented as IFG Cher-eight): This big round cherry with a long green stem and intense taste comes early in the harvest window with a low chill requirement of <300 chill hours.
- Cheery Chap™ (patented as IFG Cher-nine): This is another early-season cherry with intense color and taste and a chill requirement of <300 chill hours.
IFG’s low-chill cherries are all early harvest, meaning they are the first cherry that consumers will see, taste. These new cherries are being grown in California, Spain, Chile, Australia and South Africa.
“We are changing up the cherry game to Cherry 2.0,” said Alwyn van Jaarsveld, international commercial cherry manager, IFG. “Our program develops varieties that are early harvests with low to high chill requirements, allowing our line of cherries to be adaptable to more regions around the world, expanding global cherry production. This allows us to ensure our cherries are crunchy and sweet, with great flavor, year-round.”
“Traditionally, there are many chill requirements to grow a great cherry--but IFG is changing that with our early and ‘low chill’ cherry varieties,” said Antonia Sánchez-Labbé, international technical manager cherries/country manager cherries, North America. “Until now, most cherry trees have required 800-1,000 chill hours of temperatures below 45° Fahrenheit (7.2° Celsius). IFG has created varieties of cherries that need less than half that much.”
“Additionally, IFG selects specifically for our breeding program,” she adds. “Not only do we use modern technologies to ensure that the genetic material used in the program is what we are looking for, but we also grow the trees in a typically harsh environment to weed out the weaker progeny and ensure robust, hardy varieties that are grower-friendly and can withstand the rigor of warm, dry summers while still producing a good crop.”
All IFG varieties are non-GMO and tested to maintain quality over weeks of storage to ensure the ability to travel well to both domestic and foreign markets.
For more information:
Tamara Baker
IFG
Tel: +1 (661) 345-7580
tbaker@ifg.world
www.ifg.world