Blueberry supply should stay steady through the first quarter of 2025. "Overall our 2025 production forecast is slated to be slightly higher than 2024," says Tim Youmans, VP of sales for California Giant Berry Farms.
Currently, the company is harvesting blueberries from Mexico, Peru, and Chile, with Mexican production expected to remain steady through the first quarter of this year. "Peruvian production is declining, with the last shipments arriving mid-January. Chilean imports are starting to arrive with good volume through early March, with peak volumes expected mid-January for conventional blueberries and organic shipments arriving every other week starting late January," says Youmans.
"Peruvian production is declining, with the last shipments arriving mid-January," says Youmans.
Organic production update
On top of that, harvesting of organic blueberries from Oxnard, California will begin in mid-January with peak volumes expected in early March.
To strategically align with its customer's demand for high-quality fruit, JIT logistics, and specific pack sizes, California Giant's Blueberry pack house, located in Santa Maria, is complete with state-of-the-art technology. "This centrally located facility supports both global and local growers with re-packing, and sorting for size and quality specifications," says Youmans.
Meanwhile, the greater industry supply expected this year is designed to meet the growing consumption of blueberries. "However, the ever-increasing volumes of fruit present the need to drive demand through aggressive promotional opportunities and planning," says Youmans. "Efforts by the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council and marketers such as ourselves are addressing this trend. However, it remains a growing priority. Studies suggest there's room for growth even in established markets like the U.S., where nearly half of households don't yet, or consume very little, blueberries."
For more information:
Kelley Sablan
California Giant Berry Farms
Tel.: +1 (831)744-6634
[email protected]
https://www.calgiant.com/