Driscoll’s Developed a Golden Strawberry That Tastes Like Tropical Punch
The "high-flavor" berry features notes of pineapple and passionfruit.
Photo courtesy of Driscoll's
You might think a strawberry is a strawberry is a strawberry — and that your only choice when you head to the produce section is organic or conventionally grown. But that thinking turns out to be berry, berry wrong.
This summer, Driscoll’s is introducing an innovative, new “high-flavor” strawberry called “Tropical Bliss.” Developed over the course of several years using traditional breeding methods — no GMOs — this proprietary variety imbues the taste of sweet strawberries with “light flavor notes of tropical punch, pineapple, and passionfruit,” according to the berry brand.
Because Tropical Bliss Strawberries feature “naturally white and yellow hues,” you might think, at first blush, that they were unripe berries, but again, you would be berry incorrect! Golden as they are, the berries “are perfectly ripe and intensely sweet at first, balanced by a refreshing finish,” according to Driscoll’s.
The new berry variety joins Driscoll’s two previous “high-flavor” strawberry innovations: Rosé Strawberries, which were introduced in 2019, and have been traditionally bred to have a light-pink color – yes, like summer’s favorite wine, rosé – and a super sweet, juicy flavor featuring “notes of peach, floral and pink lemonade.” Sweetest Batch Strawberries were developed to be extra sweet, extra rich, extra juicy and extra flavorful — almost like strawberry candy crossed with fruit punch.
Photo courtesy of Driscoll's
All three premium strawberries in Driscoll’s specialty collection will be available at participating retailers in limited supply in the spring and summer seasons only.
“With more than 70 years of strawberry breeding expertise, Driscoll’s has one of the largest R&D Centers dedicated to proprietary varieties,” Philip Stewart, Driscoll's global strawberry breeding director, said in a news release, noting that the company took pride in its creative, natural approach to developing “quality, high-flavor berries.”
For those who are having difficulty finding the words to describe those high-flavor specialty berries, the brand has just introduced a proprietary sensory wheel — Driscoll's Berry Patch Sensory Wheel — to help you convey the sensory variations on taste, texture, flavor, aroma, and mouthfeel of each variety.
Photo courtesy of Driscoll's
“The Driscoll's Berry Patch Sensory Wheels took a team of sensory scientists over two years to create and we are excited to see consumers interact with them as they sample our newest flavor innovation in strawberries,” Henry Yeung, Driscoll's R&D sensory lead said in a news release.
Sounds like a berry handy tool.
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