This spring marks 40 years since the beginning of two of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most successful apples—Scifresh, and Scilate, marketed as JAZZ™ and ENVY™ respectively.
Developed in 1985 by scientists at the Bioeconomy Science Institute (then part of DSIR), and exclusively commercialised globally by T&G Global (then ENZA), the two apples have become international success stories, showcasing Aotearoa New Zealand’s strength in developing new apple varieties and building global brands which meet consumer and grower needs.
Bioeconomy Science Institute apple breeder Dr Richard Volz says the two cultivars helped shape Aotearoa New Zealand’s apple industry as pioneers of licensed varieties, setting standards for flavour, texture, and quality amid growing category commoditisation on the global market.
“In 1985, while more traditional apple varieties were performing well as export crops for New Zealand growers, the industry knew it couldn’t stand still. At the time, competitors in the southern hemisphere were starting to grow similar varieties to New Zea
JAZZ™ apple orchard photo by John Cowpland / alphapix
land growers. With our higher production and shipping costs, we needed a competitive edge to retain our position as the number one consumer choice. The only way to stay ahead was through innovation and discipline developing new cultivars that offered something better in flavour, appearance and storage performance coupled with a managed path to market,” says Dr Volz.
It took over 20 years of development to produce ‘Scifresh’ and ‘Scilate’. More than 8,000 seeds were produced from a cross between ‘Royal Gala’ and ‘Braeburn’, from which approximately 7,000 were planted. Just 211 trees were then selected to go onto an advanced selection orchard, from which ‘Scilate’ was chosen. The result is a variety which is radiant red in colour, with high flavour, high juice content and an aromatic profile thanks to its balanced acidity.
As the exclusive global licence holder of both varieties, T&G launched ‘Scifresh’ as JAZZ™ apples in 2004 and ‘Scilate’ as ENVY™ in 2008, and established them as premium global apple brands, grown in both hemispheres and loved by consumers in over 50 countries.
Shane Kingston, T&G’s Chief Operating Officer Apples, says the success of JAZZ™ and ENVY™ apples reflects T&G’s integrated and disciplined approach to growing great brands and winning in key global markets by meeting, and exceeding, consumer needs.
“To build global brands which are available to consumers and customers every day of the year, requires an end-to-end system, and that’s what T&G has invested in. It starts with superior varieties and protecting your IP, and spans the entire value chain, from world-class orchards, partnering with the best growers, leading-edge post-harvest facilities, right through to building global consumer demand market by market to meet the supply coming off the tree,” says Shane.
“The tenure and global leadership position of these brands speaks to the innovation and investment that has gone into them. Both are significant brands of preference for consumers, with ENVY™ one of the leading premium apple brands in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Viet Nam, Thailand and the United States, and JAZZ™ the number one imported apple brand in Japan, and one of the United Kingdom’s and Australia’s leading apple brands.
“With demand increasing for both premium branded apples, we license the growing of JAZZ™ to growers in more than 11 countries, while ENVY™ is grown in over 13 countries. This global network, underpinned by robust quality standards and processes, provides the scale we need to provide consumers with exceptional tasting apples and a great experience every day.”
