Grounded in Experience Breeding for the Future
Decades of table grape experience, innovation and relationships — now carrying the Andriske name forward.
A History Built in the Vineyard
The Andriske story began in 1954, when Stan Andriske was allocated approximately 60 acres of land at Paringi, New South Wales, near Mildura.
By 1963, the family had established their first grape plantings at Paringi, commencing initially with dried fruit production, before beginning generations of involvement in Australia’s table grape industry. Stan would become recognised as one of the early pioneers in the expansion of commercial table grapes in the Sunraysia region, alongside growers Gus Cottrell and Eric Biggs.
Through the 1970s and 1980s, the Andriske family continued expanding their table grape operations, including into northern Australia. Along the way, they gained firsthand experience growing fruit across very different climates and production regions.
A Shared Passion for Table Grapes — Stan Andriske and Don Luvisi together in the vineyard
From Growers to Breeders
After more than two decades of commercial grape growing, the Andriske family took the next step. In 1987, Stan Andriske established the Andriske table grape breeding programme, bringing the family’s practical vineyard experience into the development of new table grape varieties.
From the beginning, the programme was grounded in practical vineyard experience, with selections evaluated through the eyes of commercial grape growers — not only for appearance and eating quality, but for the characteristics that determine commercial success: productivity, berry and bunch characteristics, colour, eye appeal, flavour, texture, durability, shelf life, harvest timing, and performance under real growing conditions.
As the breeding programme developed, so did relationships that extended far beyond business. The Andriske family formed close personal and industry friendships with Mila and Lou Caratan and their families in California, as well as Don Luvisi. Through years of visits between Australia and California and a shared passion for table grapes, these relationships grew into lasting friendships. That trust and collaboration eventually included the exchange of breeding material with the Caratan family, further broadening the genetic diversity of the Andriske breeding programme.
The Andriske family’s California connections continued to grow through relationships with respected industry figures including Don Luvisi, breeder Tim Sheehan and Russell Williams. Like their relationship with the Caratan family, these connections developed through years of working together, visiting one another and a shared passion for table grapes.
By early 2000, the Andriske family, together with the Stone family and Boulevard Nurseries, had entered into a separate breeding partnership with the late Tim Sheehan known as Sheehan Genetics Australia. The importation and trialling of Tim Sheehan’s varieties commenced, including cross-breeding the imported Sheehan varieties to create new cultivars in Australia.
During this period, Andriske Research granted permission for selected Andriske-bred cultivars to be used as parent material in crosses undertaken through the separate Sheehan Genetics Australia breeding programme. This allowed Andriske genetics to contribute to selections originating from that programme, some of which continue to impact commercial table grape production internationally today.
Throughout this period, the Andriske Research breeding programme remained a separate and independent breeding programme, continuing to develop and assess its own cultivars independently of Sheehan Genetics Australia.
James Rawlins became part of these relationships through Williams Nursery and Sheehan Genetics. While serving as General Manager of Williams Nursery, he also served as General Manager for Tim Sheehan, helping run Sheehan Genetics. That experience gave Rawlins extensive hands-on involvement in table grape breeding, selection, evaluation and commercial development.
Williams Nursery’s North American representation of Sheehan Genetics ended in December 2018, followed by the end of Rawlins’ tenure with Williams Nursery in February 2019. These longstanding industry relationships created a natural transition for Rawlins to begin working directly with the Andriske and Stone families, bringing that experience to the continued development of the Andriske breeding programme.
In 2020, Andriske and Stone sold their interests in Sheehan Genetics Australia, bringing their involvement in that separate venture to an end.
In 2021, the Stone family joined the Andriske breeding programme, bolstering the viticultural knowledge and growing expertise within the breeding programme.
Today, the longstanding connections between Australia and California combine generations of relationships with extensive experience in table grape breeding and commercial development, strengthening the Andriske Research breeding programme internationally.
California Connections
Continuing the California Connection — Andy Stone, Gary Andriske and James Rawlins discussing Andriske selections in the vineyard