Lebanese agro-businessman Talal Nassereddine has introduced an innovation to his country - the North American highbush blueberry. Tout Berry Farms, his family business on Mount Lebanon, describes itself as the first enterprise to cultivate and sell blueberries in the Middle East.
Lebanon’s clay soil was a challenge when he tried to grow a few plants for himself. Nassereddine reached out to a professor of agriculture in California, and through years of trial and error, yielded his first harvest in 2010 and his first commercial harvest two years later.
Fortunately for Nassereddine, Lebanon does not lack water as a natural resource. Although Lebanon has recently faced water shortages, they have been due to a lack of rainfall and government mismanagement. Tout Berry Farms -with 14 full-timers and an additional 15 seasonal staff- has had an adequate water supply for its operations. Each spring, the company’s farms burst with shades of blue, purple, and magenta. Last season, the company produced and sold 20 tons of berries.
