Pioneering orchardist Neal Carter has regained ownership of Okanagan Specialty Fruits (OSF) as the company he co-founded marks its 30th anniversary with a fresh new logo and bold plans to revolutionize the fresh produce industry through genome editing.

OSF, which developed the world’s first non-browning Arctic apple, is the only small company to develop a bioengineered product that is now sold at scale and then expand to genome-edited specialty fruit crops. OSF is singular in breeding, growing, slicing, packaging and selling the proprietary Arctic apple brand, which has contributed to its financial stability and growth. That unique experience positions OSF as a global leader in biotechnology R&D, regulatory proficiency and commercial success in the fresh produce industry.

In addition to developing its own products, OSF leverages its intellectual property and a leading CapEx-light Biotech Platform to introduce novel consumer and nutrition traits, as well as grower-focused traits such as disease resistance, climate resilience and post-harvest protection, into tree fruits and other produce crops. The British Columbia headquartered company will be announcing its first big genome-edited product later in 2026.

OSF’s scientific team began by using RNAi technology to silence the expression of polyphenol oxidase (PPO), which causes fruit to brown when it is cut and exposed to air. The company then navigated a challenging regulatory process to bring four of its Arctic varieties—Golden, Granny, Fuji and Gala—to market in the U.S. and Canada. Another two varieties, Arctic Honey and Arctic Pink, are awaiting FDA approval and commercialization. As biotechnology tools have advanced, OSF shifted its emphasis to genome editing, which offers greater flexibility in plant breeding.

Source:  Okanagan Specialty Fruits June 22, 2026 news release