Scottish Honeyberries and JHI

Case Study

Scottish Honeyberries + James Hutton Institute

Superfood solutions: Growing the Honeyberries industry in Scotland

Learn how this KTP transfered novel crop knowledge into commercial practice.

KTP between Scottish Honeyberries and James Hutton Institute

Awards and Achievements

KTP Final Grade: B

The project was awarded the grade of "Very Good" by the KTP Grading Panel for its achievement in meeting KTP's objectives.

Comparative analysis of quality and nutritional traits from Lonicera caerulea (Honeyberry) cultivars and other berries grown in Scotland

In the work presented here, Scottish produced honeyberries exhibited high quality as determined by their soluble solids content and oBrix-acid ratios.
Find out more about Comparative analysis of quality and nutritional traits from Lonicera caerulea (Honeyberry) cultivars and other berries grown in Scotland

Scottish Honeyberries

Scottish Honeyberries is a cooperative of soft fruit growers, formed in response to increasing interest in growing honeyberry fruit in Scotland, in order to develop honeyberry expertise and quality products, establishing Scotland as a world leader in honeyberry production.

James Hutton Institute

The James Hutton Institute is a world-leading independent scientific research organisation based in Scotland but working in collaboration across the globe.

Its pioneering science innovates and finds solutions for the challenges posed by the climate and nature crises on the sustainability and resilience of our crops, land, natural resources and communities through the development of transformative tools, interventions, products and land management practices.

What was the need?

The Challenge

What was the need?

To transfer fundamental knowledge, around the novel fruit crop honeyberry, into commercial practice through the development of expertise which will have implications in new fruit product development and the creation of new products for customers.

What did we do?

The Solution

The KTP created a clear growers guide, resulting in higher crop yields and quality for existing growers, and enabling rapid recruitment of new growers. The team responded creatively to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, developing digital marketing, direct web sales and securing external funding for a podcast.

“It’s often the unexpected benefits from a KTP that have the most impact. In this case we were able to assemble a new germplasm resource which could have a profound impact on our soft fruit breeding and indeed the nation's dietary choices going forward.”

Dr Robert Hancock

Senior Biochemist

What changed?

The Impacts and Benefits

The KTP helped Scottish Honeyberries to create a cost effective and successful way of growing honeyberries in Scotland, reducing production inputs and improving crop yields and quality.
Routes to market were refined and a marketing strategy was developed based on the major health benefits and environmental credentials of honeyberries. These strategies were supported by extensive market and consumer research and peer reviewed scientific data on nutritional quality. The cooperative also improved business management and internal communications.
The KTP provided JHI the opportunity to showcase their excellence in applied soft fruit researchers via a journal artlcle published in Annals of Applied Biology, promotional material, presentations at key industry events, and a feature in the Hutton Highlights stakeholder publication.

The People

Meet the Team

Dr Dorota Jarret

Fruit Breeder

Dr Jarret, an experienced soft fruit breeder and researcher, is one of the few people in the UK to have trialled Honeyberries.
In 2016, she performed Honeyberry nutritional analysis and its comparison to other commercially established fruits grown in
Scotland.

Dr Louise Gamble

KTP Associate

After her KTP Associate role, Louise became the manager of the James Hutton Institute's soft fruit high health facility, which is unique within the UK, supplying disease-free propagation material to breeders and growers. She also serves as the Plant Health Officer, upholding stringent biosecurity standards at the institute.

Her experience spans a variety of crop pathogens, including fungal pathogens in barley and viruses in soft fruit crops. Additionally, she has spent several years acquiring commercial research experience. Her research is focused on molecular crop plant pathology, particularly enhancing diagnostic methods and pathogen testing techniques.

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