VentureFruit has launched ADORE™, a new global premium apple brand bringing together a family of varieties developed to perform under warmer growing conditions. The programme was presented at Fruit Attraction 2026 in Madrid as the latest commercial development of the international Hot Climate Partnership.
Rather than focusing on a single variety, ADORE™ brings together complementary genetics that can be selected according to the climate, production conditions, harvest calendar and market requirements of each region. The approach is designed to give growers and marketers greater flexibility while concentrating commercial efforts under one global brand.
The programme initially includes HOT03A1, together with a second complementary variety harvested four to six weeks earlier. Additional varieties are currently under development to extend production and supply opportunities.
Breeding for a warmer climate
ADORE™ is the result of more than two decades of breeding and scientific development through the Hot Climate Partnership, an international collaboration involving IRTA, New Zealand’s Bioeconomy Science Institute (BSI), FruitFutur and VentureFruit.
The partnership focuses on developing high-quality apples and pears capable of maintaining their commercial and eating qualities as temperatures rise. VentureFruit acts as the strategic commercialisation partner for the varieties developed through the programme.
For growers, climate resilience is becoming an increasingly important factor in long-term variety selection. The ADORE™ concept seeks to combine this agronomic requirement with a premium consumer proposition and a commercial framework capable of adapting to different producing regions.
“Grouping several complementary varieties within a single programme allows partners to choose those that best suit each region and market, and to concentrate their efforts under one global brand,” explained Morgan Rogers, general manager of VentureFruit.
A premium proposition tested in international markets
The first ADORE™ varieties have undergone extensive agronomic evaluation as well as consumer sensory research in Spain, Germany, France, Italy and Hong Kong. According to the Hot Climate Partnership, the studies showed high levels of overall consumer acceptance and a consistent experience in terms of appearance, flavour and texture.
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The apples are characterised by an intense, bright red colour and a balanced eating profile, combining sweetness and fruitiness with freshness, together with a juicy and crunchy texture.
120 hectares already licensed in Catalonia
ADORE™ enters the market with an initial production base already established. FruitFutur has licensed 120 hectares in Catalonia, making the region one of the first territories to move the new genetics into commercial production. The programme has also generated early interest among potential partners elsewhere in Europe, as well as in South America and South Africa.
The varieties will be rolled out progressively, prioritising regions where their agronomic characteristics and commercial potential offer the best fit. Plantings will be managed to align supply with demand while providing agronomic support to licensed partners.
For IRTA, the development of ADORE™ illustrates the role that breeding and innovation can play in adapting fruit production to climate change while maintaining quality and competitiveness. The programme expands the Hot Climate Partnership’s existing commercial portfolio, which already includes TUTTI™ and STELLAR™ apples.
Licences for ADORE™ are now open to growers and fresh produce marketers, marking the transition of the programme from long-term breeding research into a new commercial phase.
