El Pinar and Plant Sciences revolutionise strawberry market with Victory

El Pinar’s latest strawberry variety Victory is set to take the market by storm. Available to any farmer in the markets of Southern Europe or North Africa, Victory is a variety from the Berry Genetics programme that has been on the market for several years, in which it has stood out very notably for the good quality of its fruit and its long shelf life.

The reception of this variety has been very positive thanks to the fact that it offers a series of advantages to the farmer that differentiates it from its competitors: located in the category of early and very productive varieties, with a constant development throughout the campaign, and very rustic. Another of the main advantages of this variety of strawberry lies in its unrivalled postharvest life, making it the perfect fruit to reach the most distant destinations.

Despite the weather this season, Victory has performed well in the field.

“It has been more than 10 years since Huelva had such low temperatures, with such an incidence of rain and foggy days. This has caused a general delay in the production of all varieties and a high incidence of Botrytis due to high humidity. However, a highlight of Victory is that, unlike the rest of the materials, it has shown good behaviour in the face of all these issues, with low destruction due to rot,” said Jorge Muñoz, commercial manager of El Pinar.

Likewise, Victory is registering a very good quality, reaching the markets in excellent condition.

“It is being highly appreciated by international markets as well as local markets, with a price differential on the shelves,” said Muñoz.

Victory begins its campaign at the end of December – beginning of January with a very interesting early production to later mark its cruising speed until the end of the campaign, without production peaks, which facilitates the organization of field work in its collection. As for the fruit, its skin is firm and very resistant to rubbing, even in the most unfavourable conditions. The fruit it produces is heart shaped with a very attractive visual appearance, with a good flavour, optimal Brix levels and stable size throughout the season.

Last season, more than 100 million plants of this variety were marketed in the Mediterranean Basin, with a growth forecast in the next season much higher than the current one thanks to its great adaptability to the growing conditions in production areas as well as the growing demand for Victory fruit from the markets. Much of Victory’s success lies in having been selected in the main production areas, specifically in the research fields that El Pinar has in the province of Huelva (Spain), which allowed the sector to value its characteristics of this variety.

For all these reasons, El Pinar’s latest variety continues to gain ground beyond Spain’s borders. Currently, Victory represents more than 80% of the national production in Greece and is gaining ground in Morocco and Italy.