Blackberry Licensing
Distinctive Scottish-bred blackberries designed for premium markets
As global demand rises for premium blackberries, we license high-performing varieties bred to meet modern industry needs. Developed through close collaboration with industry and academia, our “Loch” varieties combine flavour, yield and adaptability.
Future of blackberries – varieties for growers and consumers
Blackberries (Rubus fruticosus) are a highly nutritious and delicious fruits from the rose family. Thriving in temperate regions, they are gaining increasing popularity among consumers as new varieties with enhanced sweetness and flavour continue to emerge. As demand for sweeter blackberries rises, growers are seeking robust, reliable plants that are easy to manage, train, and harvest, while retailers expect the fruit to have a long shelf life and remain fresh.
With over 60 years of commercially focused blackberry breeding, James Hutton Institute Scientific Services is at the forefront of this growing sector. Our work is underpinned by the expertise and advanced facilities of The James Hutton Institute including an extensive Rubus germplasm collection and a high health facility. Through collaboration with leading scientists, we foster innovation and apply cutting-edge technology to our breeding programmes, ensuring that we develop varieties that meet both current and future industry needs.
Our experienced breeding team works closely with industry partners to create varieties that align with the latest grower practices, consumer preferences, and market trends. We provide tailored breeding programmes that deliver the right qualities for our partners, offering commercial breeding solutions, bespoke crosses, and proprietary germplasm. We offer flexible breeding programmes that cater to a range of needs—from unselected F1 true seed populations to advanced main crop and niche varieties.
Eleanor Gilory, Commercialisation and Licensing Manager
We are committed to developing new, sweeter, and more snackable blackberry varieties that are high-yielding, season-specific, and offer excellent shelf life.
Our varieties
Currently, we have four blackberry varieties protected by Plant Variety Rights, with more in the pipeline to meet the growing global demand:
- Loch Katrine
- Loch Maree
- Loch Ness
- Loch Tay
For more information contact: licensing@huttonltd.com
Licensed blackberry varieties offer improved traits such as better flavour, higher yields, disease resistance and improved shelf life. Through its breeding programmes, James Hutton Institute Scientific Services develops varieties designed to meet the evolving needs of the soft fruit industry.
Growers and commercial partners can work with James Hutton Institute Scientific Services to obtain licences that allow the propagation and commercial cultivation of protected blackberry varieties.
Many blackberry varieties developed through James Hutton Institute Scientific Services reflect their Scottish origins and carry the “Loch” prefix in their names, highlighting the heritage of the breeding programme.
Contact for more information
Dr Eleanor Gilroy
Commercialisation and Licensing Manager
Based in Dundee
T: +44 (0)1382568827
- BSc Genetics (Hons) (1997-2001) Edinburgh University
- PhD Molecular Plant Pathology (2001-2005) Edinburgh University/SCRI
- Researcher specializing in plant immune responses to Phytophthora diseases affecting potato and raspberries (2005- 2024) SCRI/James Hutton Institute
- Published 32 papers (with 6 in preparation)
- Google Scholar h-index=31
- Commercialisation and Licensing Manager in James Hutton Limited the trade mark name for James Hutton Institute Scientific Services (2024- present)
