Tradition and innovation are fitting words to describe the core values of Battistini Vivai. A company with 75 years of history and a forward-looking vision, introducing significant innovations also in the field of berries — an increasingly trending segment among consumers worldwide.
Battistini Vivai’s contribution to research will be showcased at Macfrut, in the Berry Area, where the company will present its latest developments in berries.
We retraced the company’s history and explored its most recent innovations with Romano Roncasaglia, technical consultant at Battistini Vivai.
You are long-standing key players in national and international plant nursery research. Could you summarize the main milestones of your history?
Battistini Vivai, headquartered in Cesena, is a company with over 75 years of experience and a long-standing tradition in the nursery sector, especially in fruit plants, producing varieties of hazelnut, pistachio, olive, kiwi, cherry, berries, and rootstocks.
The company’s pride and joy is its micropropagation laboratory, an idea that led to the creation of the first facility as early as the late 1980s.
Currently, our total production of micropropagated plants (which also includes a second laboratory in the Czech Republic) exceeds 12 million plants per year.
Beyond excellent production numbers, you also invest in research and development. What are the results in the berries segment?
In 2024, a new in vitro culture laboratory was inaugurated: VitroLeaf by Battistini, a highly technological and automated facility, with a production potential of up to 24 million plants per year in the next five years.
Thanks to ongoing research and development, our company has established itself as a benchmark for large-scale propagation of healthy, high-quality plants, meeting the needs of a constantly evolving market.
In addition to operating in the traditional nursery market, in the past five years Battistini Vivai has made significant investments in varietal innovation, with a particular focus on berries, specifically raspberries and blueberries.
Thanks to strategic collaborations with academic institutions and leading companies in the sector, Battistini Vivai confirms its role as a key player in the evolution of modern fruit growing.
Could you share one of your breeding programs dedicated to berries?
For the past five years, Battistini Vivai has been running an ambitious raspberry breeding program, in 50% partnership with the Polytechnic University of Marche, represented by Professor Bruno Mezzetti, widely recognized and appreciated for his work in strawberries and berries worldwide.
The project aims to develop new raspberry varieties with improved traits in terms of disease resistance, yield, quality, sustainability, and adaptability to different environmental and climatic conditions.
What can we expect from your participation in Macfrut and the Berry Area dedicated to innovation in the berry supply chain?
We couldn’t miss the 42nd edition of Macfrut – the international trade fair dedicated to the fruit and vegetable supply chain, held in Rimini from May 6 to 8, 2025 – where we have participated continuously since its early editions in Cesena.
It’s an unmissable event offering the sector an overview of the latest agricultural, technological, and commercial innovations.
We will be present both with our own booth, as exhibitors, and as varietal promoters in the exhibition area entirely dedicated to berries: the Berry Area.
This space is an ideal platform to showcase varietal innovation and new industry trends, focusing on breeding programs, cultivation technologies, and market strategies.
A key point of reference for producers and investors interested in the development of the berry sector.
More specifically, what innovations will you present in the Berry Area?
At Macfrut 2025, Battistini Vivai will present, as an exclusive preview at the Berry Area, new blueberry and raspberry varieties, the result of years of research and advanced selection. The goal is to offer nurserymen and growers even more efficient solutions, with plants capable of ensuring higher productivity, resistance, and fruit quality.
These new cultivars represent a step forward in sector innovation, meeting the needs of a constantly evolving market.
During the trade fair, visitors will be able to discover the varieties and delve into their distinctive features and advantages for berry cultivation with the Battistini Vivai expert team.
Blueberry is one of the most on-trend berries, and Battistini Vivai has been working on it for a long time. What are the latest research developments?
Over the past ten years, the varietal landscape of blueberries has undergone significant evolution. The varieties traditionally propagated in vitro and marketed in the past are increasingly less demanded, with a few exceptions such as Duke, Draper, Legacy, and New Hanover.
Today, most blueberry growers are seeking novelty: new genetic material with excellent performance, able to adapt to various environmental conditions, both in northern and southern regions. This growing demand has led industry operators to be willing to invest substantial amounts, even paying high royalties, to test promising new varieties.
Blueberry experimental field (Battistini Vivai)
Following several genetic acquisitions by Battistini Vivai, an important project was launched in 2021 for commercial-scale in vitro propagation of new varieties and the creation of a blueberry selection evaluation field in Cesena, an important point of reference for our region.
This evaluation field, the Bat-Berry Field, is currently a key resource for observing the performance of materials in Italy and a starting point for promoting the best selections to be tested under various pedoclimatic cultivation conditions.
Validating new varieties to understand their behavior and adaptability across different regions is a fundamental part of the Blueberry Project undertaken by Battistini Vivai.
