Our story began already in 1955 when a few apple lovers founded our station in the village of Střížovice in Bohemian Paradise in the north of Czechia. Learn more about how our apples found their way to people on several continents.
1955: How it all began
The pioneer of breeding in Střížovice was Otto Louda, an amateur but enthusiastic apple grower. In 1955 in cooperation with Ladislav Černý from the former Biological Institute, he established a breeding station. His goal was to breed better apple varieties suited for the local climate. In the next years, he bred the well-known 'Šampion' ('Shampion'), 'Rubín', 'Jonalord', and 'Melodie'.
Shortly after the foundation of the station, researcher Dr. Jaroslav Tupý started to collect pollen there for his experiments. He was not only a talented scientist but also an apple lover like O. Louda. Soon they started to cooperate. Dr. Tupý later took over as head of the station. He set himself quite bold goals, though. He knew well that it's not only flavour and appearance what make for an exceptional variety. He started to focus closely on other fruit and growing traits, too.
The oldest photo of our breeding station in Střížovice
Dr. Jaroslav Tupý and his team evaluate apple newselections
Since 1965: Fight against scab
When Dr. Tupý got a half-forgotten hybrid resistant to scab, breeding of disease-resistant apples began. Curiously, many experts warned him that the progeny would have a lot of bad traits. But he ignored those naysayers. He held that breeding resistant apples that were beautiful and tasty was just a matter of time.
Soon his team's work bore fruit – and it was surprisingly delicious. That's how our first resistant selections (e.g. 'Svatava', 'Jolana') saw the light of day. Next generations of varieties from Střížovice came along over time, continuously improving their quality.
1990s: Let's go out into the world!
However, apples from Střížovice would have hardly made it big if Dr. Tupý had not been such a capable man. This globe-trotter had broad knowledge of plant biology and genetics, a lot of experience from abroad, and very good command of three languages. He used these skills in breeding, inviting foreign nurserymen, offering new selections, applying for plant variety rights, and drafting licence agreements. Over time, his team's breeding program made a name for itself in the world, with its business partners making up an extensive network.
Dr. Jaroslav Tupý discusses with business partners from abroad
Our newer columnar variety 'Rumba'
1992: Arrival of columnar apples
The Heines company (today Fleuren, NL) handed Dr. Tupý's team grafts of Waltz®, Bolero®, and Maypole® (1st generation of columnar varieties bred from the original mutant 'McIntosh Wijcik') and so these apples with narrow crown became part of our breeding portfolio.
Our columnar varieties soon caught on in particular with hobby gardeners. Every year, they plant tens of thousands of trees of our varieties in their gardens. We continue to further improve the quality of this specific kind of apple.
2015: Opal® launched into space
Opal®, one of our most popular varieties, experienced its moment of fame after NASA sent its fruits to astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS). Opal® was chosen by its grower Broetje Orchards who considered it unique:
"When we got the request for apples we knew right away that we wanted to send Opal, the most special apple in our line-up."
Ralph Broetje, owner of Broetje Orchards
Find out more about the story of Opal® on Growing Produce and on the Transfer Portal of the CAS.
Astronauts Terry Virts and Samantha Cristoforetti posing with Opal® apples floating in weightlessness (Photo: NASA, public domain)
We are proud of our roots and that our effort is bearing fruit - both literally and figuratively.
We are following up on Dr. Tupý's work
Dr. J. Tupý dedicated his life to apples but lacked a successor for long. Only by coincidence, Radek Černý visited the station in 2007 and two years later joined our team. Over time, he learned a lot from Dr. Tupý and brought precious experience with modern technologies to the station. After the passing of Dr. Tupý in 2016, he took over as head of the team.
A lot has changed at our station since then. What lasts, is our passion for apples and commitment to constant improving their quality. We are proudly following up on the work of our founder Dr. Tupý.
We are working on the apples of tomorrow
Consumers' preferences are ever-changing. It's difficult to predict what traits will be in demand in the future. However, it is for sure that diseases are not going to give up. That's why we continue to seek individuals with multiple resistance to diseases and diverse fruit and growing qualities. Because we believe that high-quality varieties will never go out of fashion.
Are you curious about how we are working on the apple varieties to come?
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