Growing the finest berries in the world begins with Driscoll’s commitment to research and development. Our experts use natural breeding methods, as well as extensive in-field testing, to create our patented varieties. Driscoll’s berries deliver a truly delightful eating experience in terms of flavor, color, texture, shape and aroma. Let’s follow this journey from seedling to store…

Growing Better Berry Varieties… Naturally

Better varieties mean better berries, and this is what sets Driscoll’s apart from our competitors. Our commitment to natural breeding programs began in the 1940’s, when each of our founders agreed to contribute a portion of their paychecks to research and development. Naturally, the first thing we look for is flavor. We rely on natural cross-pollination techniques to continually improve Driscoll’s berries. We never genetically modify our plants or use irradiation. Every season, we flavor test more than 500 selected varieties from our test plots around the world and rate them on a hedonics scale. Every Driscoll’s berry must be flavorful, gorgeous in appearance, resistant to disease, and hardy enough to ship well and arrive fresh at your store.

From Seedlings to Store

Berries are genetically complex. Each year we plant a new set of seedlings and evaluate how they grow in greenhouses and fields. Each seedling must be an improvement on the great berry varieties already in production, so we keep raising the bar in search of the finest berries in the world. Only about 1% of the seedlings that are grown in the test plots will advance for further testing, and fewer still make it all the way to become a patented Driscoll’s variety. It takes an average of five to seven years to develop a new commercially viable berry variety. Each new berry variety is named by our breeders, and then patented. Driscoll’s patented varieties are available only to our independent farmers. Today, Driscoll’s berries are grown on five continents and Driscoll’s holds fruit patents and trademarks in 41 countries.