The Metis Oxy plum has just been awarded the 2026 Flavor of the Year prize. Following blind tastings by consumers, this award recognizes the variety and, more broadly, pays tribute to the work carried out across the entire range. The award reinforces the Metis brand’s ambition to offer a new generation of premium plums that are more distinctive, more indulgent and designed to provide a truly exceptional tasting experience.
Awarded following blind tastings carried out by consumers, the Flavor of the Year 2026 award – for products of French and Spanish origin – recognizes products that appeal through their taste, texture, aroma and appearance. For Metis Oxy, this award recognizes a variety that stands out from traditional plums thanks to its particularly juicy flesh, its crunch, its natural sweetness, its balanced flavor and generous size. Its uniqueness stems from a variety development program based on natural cross-breeding, initiated by pollination between plum blossoms and apricot pollen. This blend of delicious flavors and its intense color make it a plum in a category of its own.
Marketed under the Metis brand, Metis Oxy is one of five varieties in the range, alongside Metis Sunny, Metis Sunset, Metis Safari and Metis Dark. “Behind every new variety lie many years of observation and selection. Our plum, which has been recognized by consumers for its flavor, is the culmination of all this work. Metis Oxy perfectly illustrates this constant quest for a fruit that combines enjoyment and quality,” explains Camille Herouard, head of supply chain management and technical development for Metis at Star Fruits. Available from June to November, Metis accompanies consumers and offers consistent quality well beyond the traditional summer season.
Beyond the award itself, the selection of the Metis Oxy plum sends a positive signal to the entire plum sector. It illustrates the sector’s ability to offer fruit that meets consumers’ current expectations: taste, enjoyment, naturalness and the discovery of products that stand out from the ordinary.
Although the Metis brand is now 12 years old, its history began nearly a century ago in California, with the Bradford family’s pioneering work in stone fruit breeding. Today, Rusticas Del Guadalquivir and Star Fruits are developing the brand in Europe alongside their producer partners. Grown in France (Blue Whale), Spain (Royal) and Italy (Ganfrutta Zani), the Metis range continues to expand, with production estimated at 7,700 tons of plums for the 2026 season. Blue Whale SAS is France’s leading producer and exporter of apples, bringing together 300 fruit growers across three main French production regions. This collective markets a wide variety of environmentally responsible fruit in over 70 countries worldwide.”
Since Metis was founded, our ambition has been to offer a plum that stands out above all for its flavor. A fruit that stands on its own merits. The award recognizes a long-term commitment across the entire sector and confirms that this standard is now recognized by consumers,” explains Marie Gallian, head of communications and brand marketing at Star Fruits. Winning the 2026 Flavor of the Year award thus supports the development of Metis and recognizes the long-standing work carried out towards a shared goal: to offer plums that place flavor at the heart of the tasting experience. This momentum is also accompanied by a new brand identity, designed to better reflect Metis’s premium, gourmet and natural positioning.
For more information:
metis-fruits.com
