The blueberry harvest has begun in the Pacific Northwest, with eastern Washington one of the first regions off the mark. Within the week, expectations are for much of Oregon to also start harvesting. Suppliers say it’s always an interesting time as speculation runs rife over which regions are seeing the first berries. Wherever the first berries are picked, volume will continue to build across the entire region over the next two weeks with the season likely to extend through September.
“It’s a busy time of year as we are on the frontside of the wave of summer crops,” said Michael McMillan of Bridges Organic Produce. “Our earliest blueberries are picked in eastern Washington before moving into Oregon. There are reports that some fruit is already being raked in southern Oregon. Over the next week, we will start seeing volume build in most areas of the Pacific Northwest.”
McMillan added that the season has started close to the long-term average. “It’s been a normal start in terms of timing,” he said. “We have commenced early for the last few years, so it feels a little unusual to be starting on time! Pollination and fruit size development was excellent this year and we predict it will be a great season. Although parts of Washington have been dry, we have generally had good weather conditions, with Oregon especially due to have a heavy crop.”
Market should remain strong
California blueberry volume was impacted by the heavy rains a month ago. As a result, the market has been short and prices are strong. This is set to continue in the lead up to July 4. “It seems like it will be a strong market,” McMillan observed. “The rains that hit the San Joaquin Valley in California reportedly caused some quality issues and a lot of split berries. There has been limited supply for both conventional and organic and we expect the market to peak up to the July 4 holiday, before starting to ease afterwards.”
He also noted that the Pacific Northwest and Canada blueberry seasons are overlapping more each year and predicts this trend will continue. “There used to be more of a distance between the start dates for eastern Washington, western Washington, Oregon and British Columbia. However, western Washington as well as British Columbia have been further ahead than they used to be.”
Focus on quality over quantity
McMillan said that the focus for Bridges Organic Produce is prioritizing quality over quantity. The company has decided to find their market that appreciates its growing methods. For example, he said rather than rely on mechanical harvesters, blueberry bushes are harvested by hand three to four times a season, aiming for high-maturity fruit over large quantities.
“We are a hand-picked, flavor-focused operation focused on presenting the best eating quality for our customers,” McMillan shared. “We prune exceptionally heavily which encourages larger-sized and higher quality fruit. We have also done more work with shade cloth to mitigate heat stress. Our partners have recognized that value and that there is a good market for it. We continue to expand our relationships and partnerships with companies to have greater availability in each district.”
Main focus on berries at Organic Produce Summit
Bridges Organic Produce will be one of the exhibitors at the Organic Produce Summit in Monterey on July 10 and 11. Sydney Fairchild, who is in charge of the company’s Marketing, Sustainability and Compliance, says there is a lot of value in the compact and intimate format of the OPS.
“What we like most about the Organic Produce Summit are the face-to-face interactions with our customers and buyers,” she said. “The show is small and manageable, making it easy to reach everyone in the relatively short amount of time allotted for the trade show. This is also helped by the layout design which makes it simple to navigate the trade show floor.”
Fairchild added that the company’s primary focus will be on the organic berry season as well as discussing upcoming programs. “This time of year, there is a great focus on the berry program. It’s also an excellent time for us to start planning programs for our Mexican deal which begins in the fall, as well as showing our capabilities when it comes to Fair Trade. It’s not just berries that we will discuss at OPS, but also our other organic programs.”
Brides Organic Produce will be at Booth #722 at the Organic Produce Summit.
For more information:
Michael McMillan
Bridges Organic Produce
Ph: +1 (503) 235-7333
michael@bridgesproduce.com
www.bridgesproduce.com