Jim Roberts, Naturipe Farms, LLC

Naturipe Farms, LLC BB #:165382 is a well-established grower-owned company in the berry realm, lauded for its strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and cranberries. A new blueberry variety, the Envoy, was recently introduced. So what does it take to bring a new berry to market? We talked to Jim Roberts, president at Naturipe Farms, about the lengthy, complex process from ideation to market launch.

Q: How often are new varieties brought to market? Does it depend on the type of berry?

New varieties in fresh produce are hitting the market fairly regularly, but there are many variables at play. In Naturipe’s case, extensive breeding efforts have led to the release of 55 varieties over the past 15 years—an average of about 3 to 4 new varieties per year.

This process involves careful selection and natural cross-pollination to ensure that only the best traits are combined. For every variety introduced, there’s a dozen that didn’t pass our rigorous standards.

For blueberries specifically, the demand for premium products has accelerated development. Our recent investments in breeding and testing will further increase the pace at which new proprietary varieties are introduced.

The timeline for new varieties also depends on growers, retailers, and consumers, who seek specific traits such as flavor, size, and shelf life. As a result, while some berries may see more frequent variety innovation, others may take longer due to the extensive selection process.

Q: Does Naturipe have established relationships with breeders or its own research and development team?

Two of Naturipe’s grower-owners own and operate blueberry, blackberry, and raspberry breeding programs, working to develop superior varieties that enhance both the consumer eating experience and on-farm profitability.

Through extensive research, careful selection, and innovative breeding techniques, these programs focus on creating high-quality, high-yielding blueberry plants with extraordinary flavor, longer shelf life, and adaptability to various environmental conditions.

Their commitment to continuous improvement ensures that Naturipe remains at the forefront of delivering premium berries to market.

Our grower-owners also take part in public-private partnerships with leading academic breeding programs, such as those at the University of Florida, UC Davis, and numerous private breeding programs, to develop and commercialize innovative berry varieties.

Our end goal is to have a portfolio of varieties for all berries that provide the best of what’s available in every region for 52 weeks a year—and no one solution can achieve this on its own.

Our end goal is to have a portfolio of varieties for all berries that provide the best of what’s available in every region for 52 weeks a year—and no one solution can achieve this on its own.

Q: How many people/teams are involved from start to finish?

What started out fairly small at this point takes an army of dedicated people, and as such, we have multiple teams across the world working collaboratively.

Q: Walk us through the various stages of development and testing – how long does this take?

We start by gaining a deep understanding of consumer preferences—flavor, texture, size, and overall eating experience.

At the same time, we consider grower requirements, ensuring that a berry loved by consumers is also viable for farmers to produce. It must yield efficiently, resist diseases and pests, and ideally, thrive in diverse climates and growing conditions.

Feedback from our growers, retailers, and customers helps us identify challenges and opportunities for improvement.

Once we begin working with plants, we carefully cross high-quality cultivars with native species to develop hybrids that meet specific needs. These potential varieties are planted in test plots, where we evaluate their performance based on traits like growth rate, disease resistance, and yield.

While initial promising results often appear within two to three years, the process is intentionally meticulous. Every detail is analyzed to ensure that only the best varieties move forward—many don’t make the cut.

Through comprehensive studies, we refine our approach by observing test crops in real-world conditions. This work blends art and science, with close collaboration between researchers, breeders, and growers.

Advanced techniques like genetic mapping further accelerate the selection of berries with the most desirable traits, ensuring we continue to deliver premium fruit to market.

Q: How does competition come into play – is a new variety a closely guarded secret?

Not at all! We want everyone to experience varieties like Envoy and our new proprietary blackberry, Fenomenal, and the many more we’re bringing to market because they truly stand out in flavor and quality.

While competition exists in growing new varieties just as much as with established ones, our focus remains on delivering the best possible berries to consumers.

Innovation in breeding helps set us apart, but ultimately, it’s about providing exceptional fruit.

We measure ROI on a new variety by looking at several key factors. Retailers asking for more of the berries is a strong indicator of demand, showing the variety is resonating with consumers.

Q: How do you decide when to launch?

There’s much thought behind when to launch. Our focus is on ensuring that each variety we introduce is of the highest quality, thoroughly tested, and meets the needs of growers, retailers, and consumers.

It’s about getting it right for the long term, rather than rushing to be first to market.

At Naturipe, we ensure the variety has met our high standards for flavor, quality, and consistency. We also evaluate its performance across different growing conditions to be viable and sustainable on a larger scale.

And when our marketing team says it’s “Go time!” and we introduce an awesome variety, we make sure to provide the necessary information buyers and sellers may need or want. 

Q: How do you measure ROI on a new variety?

We measure ROI on a new variety by looking at several key factors. Retailers asking for more of the berries is a strong indicator of demand, showing the variety is resonating with consumers.

Grower profitability from higher yields and better marketability also speaks to its success and are critical to a sustainable supply chain.

Additionally, consumer engagement—especially when people rave about the variety on social media, or tell their family to pick them up at the grocery store—helps us gauge satisfaction and long-term potential.

All of these factors combined give us a clear picture of a variety’s return on investment.

Q: Are more new berry varieties on the way or in process?

Short answer: stay tuned to find out! The longer answer is that premium blueberries grew 54 percent in the past year, outpacing conventional blueberries.

To us, this indicates that premium products are here to stay and consumers are responding exceptionally well to the offering of premium berries.