The blueberry harvest in the United States is expected to last for another six weeks, the market is in the process of preparing to change to the imported season. At present, Oregon, Michigan, Washington and British Columbia are all offering premium quality fruits, but only smaller production numbers compared to historical averages. “The promotional time for the current season has come to an end, and I’m expecting harvest to end in late September” Matthew Giddings from Always Fresh Farms. When that happens, the volume coming from Peru will not be enough to sustain the business.

Fields of blueberries found in Peru.

A late start for Peru

Indeed, the season of blueberries in Peru is expected to have an unsteady start. In the past, Peru’s harvest was delayed because of El Nino. This caused delays during this season’s pruning cycles and, as a consequence, the peak of production is likely to have a delay. In the end, there’ll be a gap in between the closing of the season in the US and the onset of substantial quantities coming from Peru. “However internalally, we’ve prepared to be prepared for this,” commented Giddings. “We expect some premium quality domestic late season fruit and we are in talks with our clients.” Retailers are changing their promotional schedules by shifting them to period of late October. “By close to the month of October Peru could be the leading player on the market,” shared Giddings. “The Peru will be the center on the stage between November and December where a wealth of promotional opportunities will be in place.

Giddings is thrilled about the new varieties of blueberries that hail from Peru being introduced to the market. Though some varieties of new ones were in limited quantity in earlier years 2024 will be an even bigger year for new varieties, with greater quantities coming to market.

Local blackberry services

Even though blackberries are experiencing some good growth but the hot weather in some regions of the nation was challenging. “In further, the blackberries do not transport well, so our focus is shifting to regional programs that work for retail stores,” Giddings said. The fruit is thriving across the nation, and offer possibilities for local suppliers. “We experienced a lot of success working with local groups that came from Florida, Georgia, the Pacific Northwest as well as New Jersey,” Giddings explained. The season in the domestic arena is in the final stages and is expected to close in September.

Always Fresh Farms has already received blackberries from Mexico and expects to enjoy an exciting year of imports.

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Matthew Giddings

Always Fresh Farms

Tel: (+1) 863-401-3404

[email protected]

www.alwaysfresh.com