Jul 5, 2018

Raspberry, blackberry pricing survey shows early results

The North American Raspberry & Blackberry Association  (NARBA) has released a preliminary report on its 2018 Raspberry & Blackberry Pricing Survey.

NARBA recently completed a report of its survey of growers’ 2018 raspberry and blackberry pricing and sales strategies. NARBA is keeping the survey open through the summer and will issue additional reports if sufficient information is received. Find the survey here:  http://uark.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_djzmC8tUnEirkyh

A few highlights from the report:

• 140+ growers participated; 100+ responses are included in the report. The other respondents indicated they weren’t growing caneberries in 2018 or did not finish the survey sufficiently. A climate of heightened concern over data privacy is believed to have hampered response.)
• 41.3  percent of respondents grow blackberries, 20.2 percent grow raspberries, and 38.5 percent grow both raspberries and blackberries. Most have been in business for many years.
• Responding growers averaged 4.9 acres with the smallest being 0.02 acres and the largest producing on 55 acres.
• U-pick was the most popular marketing method among responding producers, with more than half (51.5 percent) utilizing this retail strategy. Many producers sold their berries at retail through farm stands/prepick at the farm (41.7 percent), and farmer’s markets (33.0 percent). Almost 39 percent of producers sold through small wholesale markets (local stores, restaurants, etc.) and 27 percent sold through large wholesale markets (major marketers, supermarket chains, etc.).
• The average price for prepick raspberries was $6.46/pint ($8.42/lb).  A majority (58.0 percent) of growers sold for $5.00-$8.00/pint.
• The average price for prepick blackberries was $4.86/pint ($6.46/lb). The lowest-pricing third of growers sold for $1.50-3.50/pint, the middle third for $3.75-5.50/pint, and the top third for $6.00-12.00/pint. There are strong regional differences.
• Averages prices have risen slightly since NARBA’s last survey in 2016, but individual growers’ prices tend to be stable over many years.  76.0 percent of blackberry producers were planning to keep the same prices, and 82.8 percent of raspberry producers reported plans to keep the same prices in 2018.
• Asked about barriers to success, weather was mentioned most (23 responses), followed by labor (21) and SWD (13). Responses for pests, non-SWD or not specific (12), disease (9), weeds (8) and wildlife/birds (5) were also common. The total of all pest/disease responses, including SWD, is 47.

To receive the full 10-page report,  fill out this request form. The full report includes a Table of Responses that lists the prices and units used by each grower in each region for each market, numerous other graphs and tables, and a compilation of text responses to the open-ended questions.