Naturipe Farms’ has reached its peak of season of California blueberries. Increased consumer demand for the berries pushes Naturipe grower-owners Munger Farms to improve themselves, their harvesting methods, berry varieties and packaging styles.
Brothers, David Munger and Kable Munger are second generation growers in farming fresh blueberries in California’s San Joaquin Valley. The brothers remarked, “We are dedicated to finding innovative new technologies to improve and stay competitive in this ever changing marketplace.”
Today, the fully integrated farming family has extended to include Kable’s children, Asha and Diwan.
As the season moves north along the west coast, Brian Bocock, vice president of product management, explains “We are in the back half of the peak in Delano, and heading straight into the peak of the Delta region. The Delta growing area is a nice bridge of production between the California and Oregon/Washington seasons, providing a continuous supply of conventional and organic blueberries to our customers.”
Included in this year’s harvest is a variety proprietary to Naturipe, the ‘Rocio’. The Rocio is an early variety with berries that are typically larger in size and has a sweet flavor. In addition, varieties such as “Legacy and Draper from our northern California farms offer the best ‘late season California’ blueberries with their flavor, quality and superior self-life,” says Mario Flores, director of blueberry product management.
According to the USHBC “Americans are nearly twice as likely as they were nine years ago to buy blueberries”. Naturipe now offers a natural fiber, compostable organic tray which resonates well with today’s organic shopper. Their heat sealed packaging, displays the company’s commitment to environmental stewardship with a 30 percent plastic reduction rate. And their value added products such as the Mighty Blues and ready to eat snack packs are well known as industry leading blueberry offerings into to the fresh market.
For more information, please visit www.naturipefarms.com.