The small, sweet and popular fruits -which could really be called a local superfood- are ripe for harvesting right now, with a lead of about ten days. Over the next few weeks, around 3,400 tonnes of berries will be picked by their respective growers. Swiss berries are very exclusive, as they are only available from July to October.
According to Swissfruit estimates, around 2070 tonnes of raspberries, 460 tonnes of blackberries, 550 tonnes of blueberries and 316 tonnes of currants are coming onto the market. These volumes will be the same as last year. On the organic cultivation side, 80 tonnes of raspberries, 50 tonnes of blueberries, 20 tonnes of blackberries and 4 tonnes of currants are expected.
Over 20 percent more raspberries
Swiss people like berries, especially raspberries, where consumption rose by 22 percent compared with the previous year, and blueberries by 10 percent. On average, seven kilos of berries are eaten per person per year. The degree of self-sufficiency is as follows:
Raspberries: 30%.
Blackberries: 65
Blueberries: 9 %.
Cassis: 77 %
Regional purchasing means climate-friendliness
The current weather conditions are ideal for berries; blackberries in particular love high temperatures, which makes them taste really sweet and fruity. Swiss berries are produced according to strict ecological guidelines. The advantages of domestic berries are shorter transport routes, resulting in freshly harvested fruit on the markets. Berries will lose a certain amount of vitamin C, aroma and flavour after a short time. Furthermore, shorter routes of course mean energy savings. So if one buys domestic berries, one supports Swiss production and one also helps the environment.
Source:Swissfruit