Blueberry production in Mexico has resulted in a number of growers establishing or expanding into the market in recent years. One of these growers has recently launched a new project which it said is already expecting a fresh expansion in the upcoming year. Berry Lovers began their Mexico operations in 2005, but have introduced new fields in Jalisco, on the back of their existing production."We started developing our 3 new blueberry farms in March 2017," said Gerardo Lopez of Berry Lovers. "The initial size was 80 hectares, and we will develop another 20 hectares in 2018. All of our farms are located not far from Guadalajara, in the state of Jalisco where we have experienced favorable weather conditions for the most part."
"Our blueberry operation currently spans over 8 months of the year," he continued. "From October to December, we grow the Jupiter variety, and from December to May sees production turn to Biloxi. Besides Jupiter and Biloxi, we are also evaluating the possibility of developing farms with Atlas for production in April and May."
First shipments from expanded operation to Canada
Berry Lovers began shipping blueberries from the new fields by the end of last year. The company has seen positive feedback and have even started exporting to the UK, where they deal directly with supermarkets. "We started shipping to Canada by December and acceptance of our blueberries in that market has been very good," Lopez said. "In addition we are also shipping bulk blues to the UK by air. We have high hopes in this market as well."Lopez added that the company is proud of the quality of their berries and are looking to provide customers with an expanded organic blueberry offering soon. "We are very proud of our blues," he said. "The colour, texture and flavor is very good and we believe it will please most consumers. In fact, 80% of our blues are 14 mm and above. Most of our farms are conventional but we do currently have 10 hectares that are organic. In the coming years, we will be developing more organic farms in line with increasing demand."
For more information:
Gerardo Lopez
Berry Lovers
Tel: +1 (305) 407-3891