Red Sun Farms, Heritable Agriculture and Consorzio Italiano Vivaisti report major strides in their joint work to create a next-generation, indoor-grown strawberry at the Vineland Research Station.
This partnership combines CIV's expertise in strawberry genetics and germplasm, Heritable Agriculture's AI-driven breeding models and Red Sun Farms' indoor growing experience to revolutionize how premium strawberries are bred and grown, according to a news release.
“We are entering a new era of produce development where we no longer have to choose between yield and flavor,” says Paul J. Mastronardi, business development and account manager for Red Sun Farms. “This partnership brings together the four critical pillars of modern agriculture: advanced genetics, predictive AI, precision growing and direct retail feedback. By aligning these forces from Day 1, we are creating a feedback loop that has never existed before.
“We are effectively reverse-engineering the perfect strawberry based on what consumers actually demand, ensuring that when these varieties hit the shelf, they are already proven winners,” Mastgronardi says.
By leveraging AI simulations to predict crop performance, the partnership is streamlining breeding timelines and optimizing key traits for greenhouse efficiency. This approach allows the team to bring high-quality, innovative strawberry varieties to market faster, varieties designed with growers, consumers and the environment in mind.
“At Vineland, we're proud to be at the forefront of horticultural innovation by combining world-class research, advanced technology and industry collaborations to deliver premium, sustainable strawberries to the consumer,” says Ian Potter, president and CEO of Vineland Research. “It's been incredible to see this research come to life and be validated directly through customer feedback.”
Heritable Agriculture's predictive AI technology generalizes across species, environments and traits, making it adaptable to nearly any agricultural operation. When paired with Red Sun Farms' vertically integrated model and CIV's world-leading breeding capabilities, this collaboration represents a new benchmark in indoor fruit innovation.
“We're bringing AI solutions to indoor growers, beginning with greenhouse strawberries,” says Davide Sosso, chief scientific officer for Heritable Agriculture. “This work is setting a new standard for strawberry flavor and quality, which is precisely why retailers were here this week to learn more.”
A key differentiator of this initiative is the early involvement of eight retail partners representing more than 8,000 North American store locations. By bringing retailers into the breeding process from the beginning stages, the project aligns real consumer insights and market needs with cutting-edge technology, ensuring the varieties developed are optimized not just for performance, but for taste, texture and shopper appeal.
Last week, retail partners joined the research team at the Vineland for an exclusive first look at more than 110 strawberry breeding lines currently in development. Through guided sensory evaluations, partners provided valuable feedback that will help shape the next phase of selection and innovation.
“For CIV, this collaboration represents an important step in turning our genetic research into tangible value for the entire supply chain,” says Federico Stanzani, general manager of CIV. “Providing our germplasm and integrating it with Heritable's predictive models, Red Sun's cultivation expertise and the research capabilities of Vineland Research allows us to accelerate indoor breeding, optimize key traits and develop varieties capable of excelling in greenhouses from the earliest stages. This synergy between advanced genetics, artificial intelligence and precision growing not only demonstrates technological potential but also delivers concrete results for growers, retailers and consumers, creating strawberries that are ready to meet market demands.”
As the project advances, Red Sun Farms, Heritable Agriculture, CIV and Vineland say they remain committed to driving sustainable, technology-enabled innovation that enhances quality, productivity and flavor for the strawberry category.
