In vitro berry nursery and micropropagation specialist Kusibab never seems to stop. The Polish company is always striving to introduce new species, test new varieties and extend its reach to new markets, and this year it will see more of the same.

“In 2021 we will expand our product range with gooseberries, gooseberries, bee plants, new blueberry varieties, haskap berries and blackberries,” confirms CEO Tadeusz Kusibab. "We have promising results from our technological trials for the reproduction of sea buckthorn."

What's new in blueberries?

The group began selling two new varieties of blueberries in 2020, namely Titanium and MegasBlue. There has been a growing interest in these two varieties both in the domestic market and abroad.

“It will take some time to establish its usefulness,” says executive Marcin Wyka. "We have to confirm their resistance to our climatic conditions, but their potential can certainly give hope that they will become one of the main varieties of blueberries."

The company already has other varieties of blueberries in production, but these won't be released until 2022.

Kusibab in vitro is enjoying increased interest in its products from a number of international markets, ranging from close to home, such as Serbia, Croatia, Georgia, Turkey, Ukraine and Russia, to Asia.

"Due to the relocation of blueberry producing regions, especially to countries with warmer climates or those nations where the demand for blueberries is growing, interest in low or no cooling varieties has increased," explains Kusibab.

Wyka also highlights how important climate and weather are for the group's customers: “The weather has been less predictable in recent years, and spring has caused a lot of difficulties. This year, for the first time in several years, we have a beautiful winter. This should calm moods and check plans.”

Opportunities and challenges

Looking ahead to the rest of the year, the group will continue to search for varieties of individual species to meet the expectations of its customers.

“We are also working to expand the selection of types, species and varieties that were once in our production range and that have been eliminated, among others, gooseberries and gooseberries, while we expand our offer with blackberries, strawberries, goji berries and rhubarb ”. Wyka confirms.

The group also continues to develop Haskap as a viable commercial berry, although Kusibab says the road to customer awareness remains long.

There is also the issue of Brexit, which has been a rocky start to 2021. "This year has brought a new challenge in the form of Brexit," adds Wyka. “Currently, the export of our products is difficult. However, we hope to be able to solve this problem quickly. "