Warm weather in Chile has affected the volume of fresh blueberries shipped to the US. Firmness of fruit has been a factor in the amount of fruit designated for the US fresh market.
Greg Fleming, of Alpine Fresh in Florida, says that the import season has gone well.
“We've had great movement,” he says, “and we reached peak volumes a few weeks ago, so we'll see reduced volume every week for blueberries from here on out.”
He says they've seen prices around $12 for 6 oz flats.
Although he notes they've experienced an increase in fruit from Chile, he says the weather in the South American country has affected the blueberries coming in.
“We experienced about a 15 percent increase in blueberries from Chile,” he says, “but there was a lot of heat down there, so some of the fruit coming in was not as firm as in previous years.”
Mike Bowe, of Dave's Specialty Imports, says they've also seen an increase in the volume of blueberries from Chile, but the amount of fruit destined for the fresh market has gone down.
“There are more berries than last year from Chile,” says Bowe, “but because of the warm weather, some of the berries are softer, so a lot more of that fruit is going to processing.”
For the berries that have gone to the fresh market, the quality has been good.
Marc Dudley, of The Produce Connection in Miami, says that their blueberries, for which they've seen prices of $11-$12 per case for fruit shipped by air from Chile, have been well-received.
“Demand is steady,” he says, “and the quality of fruit has been good.”