Castaic and Alhambra Promise Robust Productivity and Rich Flavor in CBC’s Expanding Strawberry Portfolio

California Berry Cultivars (CBC) announced on March 12, 2025, the commercial release of two new strawberry varieties, Castaic and Alhambra.

These additions further expand the company’s innovative lineup, which already includes Adelanto, Belvedere, and Alturas, all developed to tackle the core challenges of modern strawberry production.

By improving disease resistance, boosting yields, and enhancing flavor, CBC aims to give growers a more comprehensive set of tools to meet both market demands and agronomic needs.

The company’s latest move underscores its determination to push the boundaries of what strawberry breeding can accomplish in different production windows.

Castaic, one of the two newly released varieties, is positioned as a short-day powerhouse capable of routinely surpassing 8,000 trays per acre.

This productivity milestone captures the attention of growers eager to maximize returns without sacrificing berry size or flavor over the course of the season.

“Castaic shows that we still have significant room to push yield boundaries in strawberry breeding. Its performance in commercial trials has consistently outpaced industry benchmarks while maintaining substantial berry size throughout the entire harvest season.”

Kyle VandenLangenberg, Director of Research & Development at CBC

Castaic’s consistent results suggest it may become a mainstay for producers looking to remain competitive in Southern California’s critical short-day market.

CBC has also introduced Alhambra to address long-standing gaps in the day-neutral summer segment.

Growers have struggled for over a decade to find a variety that balances robust yields with the kind of sweetness consumers expect from sun-ripened berries.

“With Alhambra joining our established varieties, CBC now offers solutions across the full spectrum of production windows and agronomic challenges,” noted VandenLangenberg.

The company believes Alhambra’s combination of yield potential and depth of flavor can provide a long-awaited alternative for growers, meeting buyer requirements while satisfying consumer preferences.

CBC’s earlier releases laid the groundwork for the new innovations now entering the market.

Adelanto, the first variety brought forward by the company, reshaped early-season production through yields of 1,500-2,000 trays per acre by March 1 in Southern California.

That early harvest capacity helped growers transition from financial deficit to profitability well ahead of traditional timelines.

In addition, Adelanto demonstrated strong shipping qualities and notable resistance to Macrophomina, reinforcing CBC’s emphasis on pairing agronomic efficiency with market viability.

Belvedere followed suit by setting a precedent for flavor in short-day production, showing consistently elevated brix levels and a distinctive aroma that remained appealing beyond the peak harvest window.

Moreover, its yield profile allowed growers to benefit from both early-season production and overall high total output, while elite Macrophomina resistance guarded against substantial crop losses.

Alturas, another significant release, presented an effective response to Fusarium’s spread in California’s day-neutral fields.

Growers facing increased pressure from this pathogen found Alturas to be a reliable solution, given its disease resistance and remarkable total yield potential.

“All five CBC varieties share our dedication to disease resistance, yield improvement, and excellent eating quality,” VandenLangenberg explained.

“With each new release, we’re solving critical challenges while raising expectations for what growers can achieve with modern strawberry varieties.”

Beyond the newly launched Castaic and Alhambra, CBC plans to introduce more targeted solutions in the near future.

During the first week of May, the company will host a field day in Watsonville, where it intends to unveil an additional day-neutral cultivar designed to complement Alturas.

CBC also expects to showcase a highly disease-resistant strawberry developed with organic day-neutral production in mind.

These upcoming releases emphasize the company’s dedication to addressing specialized niches within the industry, ensuring that growers in various climates, markets, and production windows have viable paths to profitability and sustainability.

Through continuous research and development efforts, CBC remains focused on breeding advancements that merge economics with agronomic resilience.

These guiding principles shape all of its varieties, from the earliest stages of breeding trials to commercial introduction.

By collaborating with industry partners, leveraging trial data, and responding to feedback from growers, CBC aims to refine its portfolio so that each new offering meets real-world demands for quality and performance.

The company believes that uniting strong yields, disease resistance, and consumer-friendly taste profiles not only benefits producers but also raises overall standards for fresh market strawberries.