José Gandia, of SAT Royal, and Fabricio Blanco, of Freshkampo.
José is a familiar face in the sector. When he started with the production of soft fruit a few years ago, he was not aware of this market's potential, he affirms. Now he identifies changes in the market. "The focus on health is becoming increasingly important; a revolution awaits in the near future." He identified two trends that are rapidly becoming important and which the industry can play with. Firstly, pleasure; life should be fun; secondly, health; the quality of life should be optimal.
Blackberries: the next success story
In Mexico, the domestic market is growing strongly, according to Fabricio. "Over the last two years, we have seen a strong development of the domestic market. Consumers are becoming familiar with soft fruits." The United States and the EU are important export markets for them. Mexico has also made considerable efforts to sign free trade agreements, allowing the North American country to gain good access with its berries to markets like China. Besides blueberries, the free trade agreement with China also includes blackberries and avocados.
Of the 270,000 hectares devoted to soft fruit growing in Mexico, 7 percent corresponds to blueberries. Fabricio states that they have high expectations regarding blackberries. "We see that, in Mexico, plenty of investments are going to the development and refinement of new blackberry varieties with a better taste. There is a search for higher Brix levels and the ability to grow on different surfaces. I expect blackberries to be the next success story."
Mario Loi, of FNM.
New strawberry varieties
In the Spanish region of Huelva, the strawberry acreage is gradually becoming smaller; however, the yield remains stable. "Growers are cultivating a fewer number of varieties and focusing more on quality," says Mario. The season runs from January to June. FNM is a strawberry breeder and Mario talks about the development of new varieties. "We conduct plenty of tests to measure the Brix level during the season. Varieties with a Brix above 7 are acceptable, as that is what the market demands."
The breeder developed a new variety that currently goes by the name A10-48-3. In addition to the desired Brix level, the strawberry also has a longer shelf life. This new variety, according to Mario, will likely be called Rociera. That many growers in Huelva are switching to the cultivation of blueberries or raspberries is not to the detriment of the strawberry sector, argues Mario, but actually an evolution of the berry sector as a whole.
End of seasonal products
José has detected another trend: "A year-round supply is essential. Consumers do no longer feel bound by seasons, which means the market has a more demanding task. Quality is also very important and price is increasingly playing a smaller role. We have a variety in our product range which is seen as an expensive one, but do you know who our biggest customer is for this product? Lidl." This trend not only applies to soft fruit, as underlined with another sample. Tesco, in the UK market, is the largest purchaser of Jazz apples, with discounter Aldi second in the ranking.
Already published on the Global Berry Congress 2016:
16-3 End of blueberry market growth not yet in sight
17-3 Back to the Future: what awaits the blueberry sector?