First Take

Blueberries

In spite of their small stature, blueberries are a nutritional powerhouse that pack a punch when it comes to their sweet, juicy flavor profiles and the pop of color and zest they add to yogurt parfaits, summertime salads and decadent cobblers. Blueberries are bursting with nutritional perks such as vitamin C, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, and have several uses and benefits. Alongside the importance of understanding these uses and benefits, leading producers have dedicated their time to ensuring consumers receive quality, tasty and healthy blueberries.

Naturipe has several plans for the new year, including its annual FeBLUEary campaign. “We are excited for another great blueberry season and anticipate a strong crop starting in late January,” said President of Sales Jim Roberts. “Thanks to the ‘Blueberry Express,’ which can ship fresh blueberries to the US in less than two weeks, our consumers can enjoy the fresh, firm and flavorful imported berries even earlier."

"In early 2023, we expect to focus our efforts on the annual FeBLUEary campaign, which highlights the start of the import season of promotable volumes of Naturipe’s proprietary blueberry varieties," Roberts continued. "We expect to see large quantities of these berries from South America as soon as late January, with supplies lasting through March. With FeBLUEary, we can celebrate the dedication and commitment of our hardworking growers while giving consumers high-quality, nutritious berries. Additionally, FeBLUEary provides retailers with ample opportunities to promote our delicious blueberries.”

“We are also focusing on telling our story about growing the best tasting blueberries,” Roberts continued. “Not only is Naturipe the largest producer of blueberries, we have the largest blueberry breeding program in the world. Our growers have invested significant time and resources on their farms for generations to develop unique varieties that are firmer, bigger and sweeter. The state-of-the-art breeding program develops the best, most agile and sustainable genetics in berries to create unique varieties that meet the needs of retail- ers and consumers. These improved berries result in less waste and ensure our berries can continue to be grown in a way that is safe for growers, consumers and the environment.”

Blueberries are experiencing a halo effect of sorts. During the past two years, more households were concerned with boosting immunity and taking preventative health measures through their diet. Enter blueberries and their host of benefits for the health-conscious consumers who blended blueberries into smoothies, mixed them into trail mix and sprinkled them over Greek yogurt and salads during the summer months.

“We’ve seen an increase in sales of larger pack sizes of blueberries amongst consumers,” Roberts with Naturipe said. “As blueberries become a more popular item, taking home a pint is just not enough anymore for many households. Our jumbo blueberries, Mighty Blues, also saw a significant increase in production and sales in 2022, and have been very popular with consumers. We expect this trend to continue through 2023.”

Add to that, the beginning of the year is a time when many consumers vow to eat healthier. The beginning of the year shows many trends such as healthier snacking and eating habits, which the company has noted and remained focused on meeting the demands. “In the beginning of the year, we also tend to see consumers work on developing healthier habits as part of their New Year’s resolutions,” he pointed out. “We expect that the demand for blueberries—along with our other fresh, frozen, and value-added offerings— will reflect those habits in early 2023.”

On a farming level, Naturipe is dedicated to continually researching, innovating and developing in its breeding programs. “Our industry-leading blueberry breeding program will allow us to continue offering consumers the juiciest and most delicious berries they’ve come to expect from Naturipe,” Roberts said. “This innovation is critical to moving forward as a company. New variety development helps our growers produce the highest quality berries. In the new year, we plan to continue bringing these new blueberry varieties to market. Growers are still dealing with higher costs for inputs, labor, packaging, fuel, and transportation. There is always the potential for some delays that are driven by the impacts of weather, however, overall, we should see significant improvements this year. With the addition of the Blueberry Express service, which we will be using on both the East and West Coasts, we will get our imported blueberries to the United States significantly quicker than ever before. This will have a positive impact on the shelf life and quality of the fruit. We are extremely excited to have this new service available that will result in a better eating experience for the consumer and improved results for our growers."

"Additionally, we have worked to enhance and increase our digital assets to help consumers and omnichannel retailers at the point of purchase in all the consumer-facing platforms they use," he added. "We are well positioned to assist retailers with expanding education around the many outstanding product attributes of fresh berries.”

Recently, Driscoll’s announced its Berry Mobile Tour, which traveled across the Northeastern US. The company was traveling to cities like New York and Boston as part of its Sweetness Worth Sharing campaign. The campaign was a way for the company to remain top of mind for households and engage with consumers outside of the confines of grocery stores.

“Driscoll’s #SweetnessWorthSharing campaign continues to build emotional brand differentiation across multiple integrated touchpoints in person, on social media, and beyond,” said Driscoll's Senior Brand Manager Jamie Bassmann.

“As a multi-sensory experiential activation, the Berry Mobile Tour allows Driscoll's to connect directly with our consumers in a fun and memorable way. You can’t miss the Berry Mobile and its new larger than life branded yellow and joyful berry icons,” explained Haley Eicholz, Brand Marketing Associate Manager for Driscoll’s. “The Berry Mobile is sure to spark joy and help consumers create shareable memories everywhere it goes.”