Josep Estiarte, CEO of Bloom Fresh, identifies eating quality—particularly flavour and texture—new consumer experiences, flavour diversity and resistance to fungal diseases as the key priorities for the next generation of grapes
Two breeding programmes, one genetic platform
Bloom Fresh was officially established in August 2023 following the integration of SNFL and IFG, two breeding programmes launched in California in the late 1990s. The former, led by Tim Sheehan, focused exclusively on table grapes, while the latter, created by David Cain, also worked on cherries.
“Both programmes developed in a very similar way and competed against each other for more than 20 years,” explains Estiarte.
Their first commercial varieties began to be planted in different countries around 2010, at a time when, according to Estiarte, varietal innovation depended mainly on public breeding centres and was progressing too slowly to meet the needs of growers and consumers.
The integration of both collections has created a platform of more than 60 varieties, including white, red, black and flavoured grapes. According to Estiarte, this expansion has helped transform consumption patterns in many markets, including Spain.
“People used to consume grapes only during a limited period of the year, and they were seeded grapes. These varieties have helped drive year-round consumption.”
Murcia gains strategic importance
Bloom Fresh currently develops its innovation programmes from California and Murcia. The McFarland centre, inaugurated by IFG in 2024, covers more than 80 hectares and integrates laboratories and research teams. However, the company’s Murcian facilities, opened in 2015, have become too small for its expansion plans.
The new headquarters in Blanca will be larger than the Californian centre, making it one of the world’s largest fruit research facilities. It will officially open during the same week as the International Table Grape Symposium.
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“This is a commitment to Murcia, to the technology and genetics developed here, and to the talent that exists here,” says the CEO.
Bloom Fresh operates in more than 25 countries, with trial fields in over 12 countries and dedicated technical teams in more than 15, allowing every new selection to be evaluated under local growing conditions before commercial release.
The genetics developed in Murcia and California are sent to the company’s key production regions, where Bloom Fresh’s teams assess agronomic performance, productivity and post-harvest behaviour. The objective is to select varieties adapted to each production region, capable of delivering high yields, reducing production costs and labour requirements, with excellent shipping performance and outstanding eating quality.
Resistance, flavour and colour
Current research focuses on two major areas.
The first is the incorporation of resistance to fungal diseases, enabling a significant reduction in fungicide use. Crosses carried out in Murcia already include these resistance genes, which are now being transferred into early-, mid- and late-season varieties across different colour segments while maintaining excellent eating quality.
The second area focuses on enhancing the consumer experience, particularly through high-flavour grapes, a category pioneered by IFG with Cotton Candy.
Alongside this, Bloom Fresh has introduced Boom Bites™, a new generation of seedless, crisp grapes with deep red flesh. According to Estiarte, “this characteristic supports our objective of delivering healthier eating experiences by extending antioxidant compounds throughout the flesh of the berry, thanks to their naturally high anthocyanin content, the pigments responsible for the intense colour found in fruits such as blueberries.”
Consumer demands continue to guide the breeding programme: larger berries, seedlessness, firmness and crisp texture remain essential. For growers, Bloom Fresh prioritises productivity, simpler crop management and excellent post-harvest performance.
The breeding strategy therefore seeks to balance field efficiency, logistics performance and a superior eating experience capable of stimulating consumer demand.
