Year round supplies of blueberries have been steady as she goes when you’re able to source them from about seven or eight countries. With final shipments coming out of Canada, Terra Exports moves into sourcing from around the globe – including Poland, the newest source. “We’re in the middle of the season for our Polish blueberries and we are starting our campaign with Peruvian blues,” says Nils Goldschmidt. The British Columbia blueberry season was very positive and he says it was a better season over last. “We definitely increased our volumes compared to last year. It was a pretty good season.”
First time run for Polish blueberry program
For the first run, Goldschmidt was happy with the blueberries from Poland. “We did a decent amount for our first season.” They are also considering sourcing out of Guatemala and Australia, but Poland represents an important locale for distribution. “Poland is very interesting for us because it’s a good source for everything going into the Middle East and Asia and Europe due to proximity,” he says. “It’s a very important player and they have very competitive prices.” While the US and Canada are big players too, having Poland in their portfolio is vital since one of Terra Exports’ strongest commodities is blueberries.
Worldwide competition for blueberries
Competition for blueberries spans worldwide, and Goldschmidt says that since Poland will be ending soon the southern hemisphere – Peru, Chile and Argentina will be competing with South African and Australian blues too. “Having the right deals with the right growers – every grower is different – some of them want money up front, some want quicker payment, it really comes down to relationships. Pricing has never been an issue with blueberries for us – it’s never been an expensive item like cherries.”
Shipments from nine countries
Peru’s blueberry season is already a month underway. It’ll increase over the next several weeks and lead into the Chilean Program. Another reason Goldschmidt is interested in finding suppliers in Australia to source from. “We’re always looking to bring on new suppliers and growers.” Terra Exports currently ships blueberries from the US, Canada, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Argentina, Morocco, Spain and Poland. Their private blueberry label is Power Berry.
Nils Goldschmidt
Terra Exports - Global Sourcing
P: +1-702-664-2123