Sun World International LLC is expanding its presence in South America and, in order to accommodate that expansion, has named well-respected Chilean grape breeder and agronomist Carolina Uquillas to manage its fruit licensing business throughout Brazil, Chile and Peru.

She assumes responsibilities for managing all of Sun World’s growing South American activities. Executive Vice President David Marguleas said Uquillas joined Sun World Jan. 13 and will be based at the California company’s Santiago, Chile, office. Carolina Uquillas

Sun World licenses a wide-ranging intellectual property portfolio, including proprietary grapes and stone fruit licensed to growers and export-marketers throughout Chile, Peru and northeastern Brazil.

“South America is an essential Southern Hemisphere production region for our international licensing business and for quality-minded supermarket retailers seeking differentiated varieties,” Marguleas said in a press release. “Carolina brings keen knowledge of variety development and best production practices as well as an appreciation for what brands and unique varieties can accomplish for progressive grower-marketers.” 

For the past six years Uquillas led the Chilean government’s INIA grape-breeding program, where she had responsibility for developing new varieties, designing crosses and evaluating selections as well as assisting with the commercialization of varieties.

“Carolina worked closely with growers throughout Chile, has a keen understanding of the fruit industry and supply chain and is eager to apply her experience and energy to Sun World, its varieties and brands,” Marguleas said.

She obtained her PhD in plant molecular biology from the Catholic University of Chile and subsequently attended the University of California’s Plant Breeding Academy. She and her family live in Santiago.

In addition to licensing its fruit varieties to producers throughout South America, Sun World has licensed leading Chilean fruit marketing companies, including Subsole, Unifrutti, Gesex, Frutera Santa Maria, Dole, Tuniche and Agricom as well as Peruvian counterparts such as Camposol and Agricola Don Ricardo and Brazilian marketers such as VDS, Special Fruit, COANA and Expofruit.

Sun World is one of the leading U.S. producers and marketers of fresh fruit and operates one of the world’s largest table grape and stone fruit breeding programs. Since its inception in the mid-1970s, the company’s Variety Development Center has released more than 90 varieties with improved flavor, size, color, shelf life and extended seasonality. In addition to production on its own California farms, Sun World licenses producers to grow its proprietary varieties in North America, Europe, South America, Australia, the Middle East and South Africa. For more information, please visit www.sun-world.com.