"Sale of blueberries experiencing growth spurt in Southern Europe"

The peak of the Chilean berry supply has passed once again. "Spain and Morocco are only on the market with limited volumes, so I expect the market to pull up over the coming weeks. The price has remained reasonably stable over the past weeks, but I foresee a rise in price around week 7," says Fred Douven of ABB Growers. "The end of the season isn't traditionally the best period, so it will be a search for high quality product."

"The overseas blueberry season went well all in all. South Africa did well last winter and Argentina also had a good season against expectations. The Chilean season is going much better this season after the quality problems over the last year," continues Fred. "The sales side was also successful. The promotion ran well throughout Europe and the prices remained reasonably good and stable. We do see that the overseas suppliers are getting more demand from the United States and Asia."

Meanwhile the cultivation in Spain and especially Morocco is expanding strongly. "The big question is whether these countries can also keep up with the organisational growth. It isn't easy to find enough pickers and it will be a task to harvest, process and transport the berries correctly. Time will tell whether they will succeed," says Fred.

ABB Growers sells from the North West of Europe to the south and the east. "What stands out is that areas like Spain and France, where few berries were previously consumer, show considerable growth figures. There is still strong growth in Eastern Europe as well. The sales are still growing in the North West, but not like they were before," says Fred. He sees the market for organic blueberries as capricious. "One moment there is a lot of demand and sales are going well, but you see the market collapsing again now. The market for organic berries has more ups and downs than the conventional market."

"What else is striking is that a lot of the cooperative companies are struggling. Big players from the past, are suddenly shown to be able to fall. I expect the coming Fruit Logistica will show show that branding is on the rise in berries. Consumers won't buy a blueberry or strawberry, but a recognisable brand. And we want to make big steps in this over the coming time!"

For more information:
Fred Douven
ABB Growers
Industriestraat 11
5961 PG Horst
sales@abbgrowers.com
www.abbgrowers.com