Leading fresh produce variety development companies Star Fruits, in France and Spain’s Rusticas Del Guadalquivir, are excited to announce the exclusive launch of new stone fruit brand Metis® to the UK market, with the exclusive support of brand marketing specialist, Coregeo®.
Already available in Europe, the varieties behind Metis® were developed by the world-renowned Glen Bradford of BQ Genetics in California and have been brought to market thanks to a collaboration between brand owners Rusticas del Guadalquivir and Star Fruits, along with growers from Italy, Spain and France.
Metis® is currently grown in these three countries by a small number of specialist growers including Royal, Zani, Minguzzi and Blue Whale, who have been instrumental in ensuring that, in a category which often disappoints the consumer, Metis® offers a consistently premium eating experience.
This unique plumcot is the product of natural cross-pollination by bees using selected apricot pollen and plum blooms in the first step, the resulting varieties are then expertly crossed with plum trees to produce Metis®. The fruit of the resulting trees offers consumers a firmer, more flavoursome stone fruit that is just as juicy as a traditional plum, but is easier to eat.
The Metis® stone fruit family is made up of four brand members all with individual characteristics to offer consumers even more choice: juicy, deep red Oxy; refreshing Tonic, which has yellow flesh and contrasting red skin; Safari, which has an unusual mottled green skin and sweet, crunchy-but-juicy pink flesh and fragrant, yellow-fleshed Aroma with its purplish skin.
The Metis® group is keen to build a long-term global strategy based on quality and brand management and has started to work diligently with Southern Hemisphere growers to ensure year-round production quickly becomes possible.
Michelle Toft, chief marketing officer at Coregeo® is excited to welcome the Metis® brand into the Coregeo® family, commenting: “This mouth-watering new fruit is sure to be a hit with UK consumers. Not only does it offer a consistently great eating experience, but it’s easier to eat and a lot more durable, meaning it’s great for lunch boxes and on-the-go snacking. With four to choose from, there is sure to be a Metis® everyone will love.
“We’re really excited to be bringing this new brand to the UK market; we see huge potential for growth both here and across Europe. Metis® is the product of extensive work by Glen Bradford and his son-in-law Jon Quisenberry, guided by the fact that consumers’ tastes are constantly evolving, especially in the fresh produce aisle. We know consumers are always on the lookout for exciting new fruit, and we’re sure Metis® will catch their eye and deliver on flavour to secure repeat purchase.”
Commenting on the partnership with Coregeo®, Renaud Pierson, CEO of Star Fruits and chairman of the Metis® group in Europe says: “The UK is a strategic market for Metis®, both in terms of volume and also because of its particular organisation and situation. Following our long and successful cooperation on Pink Lady® we asked Coregeo®, as a UK market expert and brand management specialist, to assist us in the UK.”
The new brand has already hit shelves in Europe, where Coregeo® will be supporting the in-house marketing team to develop strategy and communications. In the UK the brand will be supported by extensive PR and social media activity.
