Planasa brings together the leading players in the berry sector with its Meet & Greet

On 10th March, Planasa held the second edition of its Meet & Greet at its R&D centre in Cartaya (Huelva), consolidating this event as a key meeting point for the main players in the international berry industry.

The day brought together around 260 attendees from a total of 12 countries, including technical experts, producers, marketers, and buyers from some of Europe’s leading retailers.

The initiative attracted visitors from the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Morocco, South Africa, Italy, Portugal, the United States, and India, among others, reflecting the company’s global character and its role as a benchmark in berry variety development.

During the day, attendees had the opportunity to visit Planasa’s trial fields and see first-hand the progress of its breeding programs in strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, and blackberry.

Planasa's Meet and Greet: A space for knowledge

The program also included a series of presentations.

It began with Alfonso Lopez, Head of Product Strawberry, who presented The Future of the Strawberry, addressing trends and opportunities in the development of new varieties. Next, Lourdes Fojo, Head of Product at Rubus, spoke about The Future of Rubus, highlighting innovations in raspberries and blackberries, including thornless varieties such as Black Rainier and Black Iguazú, and how these innovations respond to producers' and markets' demands.

This session concluded with Hans Liekens, Global Head of Marketing & Innovation, who delivered a presentation entitled The Future of Blueberry, sharing Planasa’s global vision for growth and innovation in this crop, with a portfolio led by Blue Madeira, Blue Maldiva, and Blue Manila, varieties that continue to demonstrate excellent adaptability under different conditions worldwide.

The event, hosted by Chris White from Fruitnet, also featured another new addition for this edition: a roundtable entitled Segmentation in the Berry Category: the Role of Innovative Breeding, which brought together industry experts including Andero Keronen from No Bananas, David Buxcey from Angus Soft Fruits, and Ben Maes from Special Fruit. They discussed varietal innovation and segmentation strategies in the international berry market.

Meet & Greet once again established itself as a space for networking and knowledge exchange, enabling interaction between different links in the berry value chain. The day allowed attendees to strengthen relationships, share experiences, and analyse the trends shaping the sector internationally.

To close the event, attendees enjoyed a spectacular drone show, marking the conclusion of a day defined by innovation, collaboration, and the international projection of the sector.

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