Fruit variety development is often seen only at the point where a new product reaches the orchard, the packhouse, the retail shelf or the consumer. But for Gerrit Genis, Licensing Manager at Sun World International, the real work starts much earlier — years before a grower plants a tree or a consumer recognises a new variety by name.
At its core, variety development is a long-term exercise in matching genetics, production realities, market requirements and consumer behaviour. It is not simply about producing fruit that looks attractive or tastes good. A successful variety must work across the full chain: in the orchard, through logistics, in retail programmes, in export markets, and ultimately in the hands of the consumer.
As Gerrit puts it, “The growing conditions are changing, ever changing. So you need to incorporate that into your breeding program.” That single point captures much of the complexity behind the modern fruit industry. Breeding cannot only respond to what works now. It has to anticipate what will still work in future production conditions, future markets and future supply chains.
Knowledge, Experience and Relationships as Intellectual Property
Gerrit’s career has taken him through several parts of the fruit industry, including citrus, local market development, packaging, branding, apples, pears, stone fruit, and now variety licensing across citrus and subtropical crops.
That background shapes the way he thinks about value. He does not come from a position where a farm or large family business is something to fall back on. Instead, he says, “whatever I do, I need to equip myself and do it myself.” In his view, the real asset becomes knowledge, experience and relationships. “If you can sell knowledge and experience and relationships, then that’s what you need to do. So that’s kind of my IP.”
This is important in an industry where commercial success depends heavily on trust and technical understanding. A variety manager is not only selling plant material or licensing rights. They are working with growers, exporters, marketers, technical teams and retailers to determine whether a variety can create value over time.
Gerrit is clear that technical understanding matters. “You can’t sell something if you don’t know about it,” he says. In fruit, that statement carries extra weight because the product is biological, perishable and exposed to variables that no spreadsheet can fully control. As he explains, “you’re working with a living organism” that has “a shelf life or an end date.”
Why Breeding Has to Look Beyond the Orchard
One of Gerrit’s strongest points is that variety development has to consider the entire life of the fruit. It is not enough for a variety to grow well in one area. It must also be able to move through the supply chain and arrive in the right condition.
He explains that breeding has to incorporate practical questions such as “how is this fruit kind of shipped one day.” That shipping reality is not an afterthought. It must be part of the breeding programme from the beginning.
This is especially relevant for South African fruit, which often has to travel long distances to export markets. A variety may be grown locally, but it has to perform internationally. Gerrit describes this long-term thinking clearly when he says the product “needs to go, even though it might be grown in South Africa, it needs to be able to go to the countries that we trade with.”
That is where variety development becomes strategic. Fruit needs the right characteristics for production, but also for transport, shelf life, visual appeal and different end uses. For mangoes, for example, Gerrit points out that varieties need to make sense for fresh produce, fresh-cut, drying and other value channels.
Mangoes as a Category With Room for Innovation
While Sun World International is already well known in other fruit categories, Gerrit sees mangoes as one of the most exciting areas of development. He describes Sun World as “the largest privately owned mango breeding company in the world,” which gives the business a significant role in shaping how the category develops.
Part of the opportunity lies in moving mangoes beyond a generic consumer understanding. Many consumers still see the product simply as a mango. As Gerrit says, “People just know it as a mango.” But within the category there are differences in timing, colour, flavour profile, fruit size, fibre, seed size, shelf life and eating experience.
That creates an opportunity to educate the market in the same way that other fruit categories have evolved. In grapes, branded varieties have helped consumers recognise specific eating experiences. Gerrit believes mangoes can follow a similar path, where people become more aware of variety names and learn which types they prefer at different points in the season.
The goal is not only to produce mangoes, but to build a better mango category.
Breeding for the Consumer — and the Market
For Gerrit, consumer appeal starts before the fruit is tasted. “People eat with their eyes,” he says. That is why visual characteristics such as colour, blush and fruit size are important breeding attributes.
In mangoes, that could mean a strong external blush, bicolour or tricolour appearance, depending on the variety. But appearance is only one part of the equation. Gerrit also mentions taste, seed size, seasonality and flavour profile as key considerations.
This matters because different markets and different consumers may prefer different flavour experiences. A mango is not just a mango once the category is properly understood. Some consumers may prefer a sweeter flavour profile, while others may enjoy more complexity. Some markets may respond strongly to visual appeal, while others may prioritise consistency, convenience or availability.
As Gerrit explains, “we’re not just breeding for South Africa, you know, we’re breeding for the world.” That global mindset means that varieties must be developed with multiple regions, consumers and commercial pathways in mind.
The Importance of Plant Breeders’ Rights
Variety development requires time, capital and long-term commitment. That is why Plant Breeders’ Rights are such an important part of the system.
Gerrit explains Plant Breeders’ Rights as legislation that “protects the rights of the plant owner or the breeder or the owner of the variety.” Without that protection, there is little incentive to invest years into developing, testing and commercialising new plant material.
This becomes especially important when companies decide where to roll out new varieties. Gerrit notes that some countries are more difficult because they do not have the required PBR legislation. In such cases, commercial rollout becomes far more complex, or may not happen at all.
For growers, royalties and licensing may sometimes feel like an additional cost. But from the breeding and variety development side, they are part of the mechanism that makes innovation possible. New varieties do not appear overnight. They are the result of long-term technical work, evaluation and commercial risk.
Building Value Across the Chain
A recurring theme in Gerrit’s thinking is that a variety must create value for more than one party. In mangoes, he explains that the harvest often has to be divided into several channels to optimise returns back on farm.
“The mango space,” he says, requires growers to “divide your harvest into seven to eight channels every year to ensure that you optimize the returns back on farm.”
Those channels may include local fresh produce, exports, fresh-cut, drying and other uses. The licensing model then has to account for the various businesses involved in the chain, including local market agents, retailers, exporters and fresh-cut companies.
The objective is clear: “everyone in the chain makes money.” That statement is central to how a variety should be commercialised. A new variety cannot only work for the breeder. It has to work for the grower, the marketer, the retailer, the processor and the consumer.
Late-Season Potential and Grower Test Blocks
One of the examples Gerrit discusses is Blyde Late, a mango variety that ripens significantly later than other commercial varieties currently available in the market. He explains that “it basically ripens a month later than any other commercial variety that is currently available,” which makes it highly valuable from a supply perspective.
Late-season fruit can help extend supply windows and support more consistent market programmes. But a variety still needs to be tested properly across regions. Mangoes, Gerrit notes, do not perform uniformly everywhere. A variety that works well in one area may not necessarily perform the same way in another.
That is why trial sites and grower test blocks are important. Gerrit says that some trial work is already taking place in the Western Cape, and that proper evaluation takes time. “You can only tell that after a couple of years,” he explains. “You’ve got to walk the walk. And you need the growers who are willing to take that risk with you to walk the walk.”
This is one of the practical realities of innovation in agriculture. Breeding may begin in research and development, but commercial proof happens in the field.
A More Strategic Future for Fruit
Gerrit’s view of fruit variety development is practical, commercial and global. It recognises the science of breeding, but also the realities of farming, logistics, retail and consumer choice.
The future of fruit will not be shaped only by yield or appearance. It will be shaped by varieties that can adapt to changing growing conditions, move reliably through supply chains, meet different market expectations, and create a better eating experience.
For South Africa, there is also a broader message. The country is not merely a supplier of fruit. It is part of the innovation system behind global fruit categories. In mangoes especially, local knowledge, trial work and commercial partnerships are helping to shape what future consumers may recognise, request and buy by name.
As Gerrit says, “we’re not just breeding for South Africa, we’re breeding for the world.” That is both a technical challenge and a commercial opportunity.
About Gerrit Genis
Gerrit Genis is the Licensing Manager at Sun World International, where he works across citrus and subtropical fruit for the SADC region. His background includes experience in citrus, local market development, packaging, branding, apples, pears, stone fruit and fruit variety commercialisation. At Sun World International, Gerrit is involved in licensing, grower partnerships and the commercial development of new fruit varieties, with a particular focus on building long-term value for growers, markets and consumers.
Watch the full conversation
Watch the full Lucentlands Podcast conversation with Gerrit Genis, Licensing Manager at Sun World International, on YouTube.
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