20 YEARS IN VARIETAL
INNOVATION

SNFL Group is one of the world’s leading table grape R&D companies. For over 20 years we have been breeding and developing new table grape varieties and licensing their production around the world. Our Innovation Centre is state of the art, and our multi-disciplinary team is made up of geneticists, molecular biologists, agronomists, and technologists of the highest caliber.

Empowering the World Through health

We are driven to propel the next generation of healthy table grape varieties to better serve the success of growers, retailers and consumers around the globe aligning innovation with the market trends.

A Global Force
of Innovation

We have specialist people in 18 countries around the world covering all the major table grape production regions. Every year our innovation team selects the best of our new hybrids and these are sent out to our 10 trial sites around the world for detailed evaluation of their agronomic characteristics and commercial potential. In each of these regions our agronomists and technicians develop locally adapted production protocols that our growers will use to get the very best results from our new varieties. We pride ourselves on the after sales service that we provide to our licensed growers.

A Trailblazing Partnership

Timothy Sheehan, breeder of the Sheehan varieties was working to develop new and improved table grape varieties when he crossed paths with SNFL’s Chairman, Duncan Macintyre and Alvaro Muñoz, CEO of AM FRESH.

Assembling an Ambitious Program

Tim accumulated a unique collection of around 200 diverse parent varieties combining flavor, crispness and large berry sizes then went on to establish a successful program with over 300,000 crosses. Prompting a company growth spurt worldwide with plantings in California, Arizona and Spain.

Sheehan Becomes a Breeding Powerhouse

Sheehan’s new seedless varieties now successfully recognized as Ivory™, Allison™, Great Green™, Timco™, Timpson™, Krissy™ and Melody™ begin to be planted around the world with large planting expansions following in the next few years from the Sheehan California Collection.

Sheehan Leaves A Legacy

Sadly, Tim passed away in 2009 but his legacy continued on and Sheehan Genetics, now wholly owned by SNFL GROUP developed and launched a collection of 20 patented table grape varieties.

A Brand-New Beginning

SNFL established a brand-new breeding program “Grape Genesis” flourishing under the direction of Dr. Juan Carreño with the clear objective of building on Tim Sheehan’s legacy and to provide the highly dynamic table grape industry with even better and more consumer-focused varieties. Varieties with enhanced disease tolerance to reduce pesticide inputs, varieties with naturally high levels of antioxidants for a healthier diet, varieties with more interesting and distinctive flavors for greater customer appeal.

Spearheading Grape Innovation

Dr. Juan Carreño and his team have already produced around 300,000 hybrids which have been screened in our DNA labs and test blocks, resulting in a collection of 50 advanced selections now undergoing evaluation in our trial sites around the world. The first new varieties emerging from this program will be launched in 2021/22.