Supplies of blueberries are very good right now. “We are seeing peak arrivals from Peru. More volume is coming in from Peru this year than last year due to new and maturing acreage in the country,” says Ryan Lockman with North Bay Produce.
Peru began shipping blueberries in late June and will go almost all year round, ending in late May. Along with Peru, Chile will also begin shipping with volume soon. Meanwhile, Mexico and Argentina are also shipping blueberries.
Ryan Lockman says North Bay is also in production with its SEKOYA®/LIVIE™ blueberries right now.
As part of its focus on varietal development for berries as a key growth strategy for the company, North Bay is also in production with its SEKOYA®/LIVIE™ blueberries. The company recently unveiled the berries under a premium label referred to as RÉSERVE™ at the Global Produce & Floral show last month.
Growing blueberry consumption
As for demand, it is steady to good says Lockman. “Consumption of blueberries has increased over the past three to four months due to consistent markets,” he says.
Collectively all of this is adding up to aggressive pricing on blueberries, though it’s particularly due to the multiple weeks of heavy arrivals from Peru.
Lockman says the volume will start to decrease as it moves into December and into the holidays.
“Looking ahead, the volume will start to decrease as we move into December and towards the holidays,” says Lockman. “The overall market is looking to gain strength as we move into December.”
Also, in mid-January, North Bay will begin its jumbo blueberry season with production out of Mexico.
For more information:
Sharon Robb
North Bay Produce, Inc.
Tel: +1 (231) 946-1941
srobb@northbayproduce.com
www.northbayproduce.com