Jul 22, 2022

Naturipe blueberry volumes hit peak production

Naturipe is celebrating National Blueberry Month (July) with large volumes of blueberries available from several growing regions across North America.

Blueberry volumes in Michigan, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia started their peak seasons in mid-July.

As an appropriate celebration of National Blueberry Month, Naturipe Farms will have promotable volumes of its delicious and fresh blueberries throughout the remainder of July and August. Retailers can stock up their shelves with pint-size options or with larger 18- and 32-ounce clamshells. While pint packages are popular with consumers for snacking, 18-ounce clamshells fly off the shelf as consumers increasingly prefer larger pack sizes for sharing with family and friends.

“National Blueberry Month comes at the perfect time as many of our North American growing regions are in the middle of peak blueberry season,” Brian Bocock, vice president of product management, said in a news release. “These flavorful berries make the perfect, easy summer snack and are healthy to boot – boasting benefits like fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, and antioxidants.”

Pricing was higher in early July, as there had been a demand-exceeds-supply for the first half of the month. The overall industry pounds were much lower for the July 4 holiday and through first half of July, but volumes are now picking up with plenty of promotional opportunities available week 29 (started July 18) right on through the month of August, due to the later start of all the Northern growing regions. During this time frame, Naturipe expects strong supplies of Mighty Blues, its jumbo blueberry pack.

The season was off to a slow start in Oregon, but is now approaching its peak. British Columbia’s crop is running about two weeks behind compared to last year but will still hit projected volumes. New Jersey is approaching the end of its season.

Blueberries were also running behind schedule in Michigan, but recent warmer weather brought on peak volumes in mid-July.

“Because Naturipe is Globally Local, it has an extensive network of growers all over the U.S., and around the world, that provide the best product during their seasons,” according to the release. “This enables Naturipe to offer high-quality blueberries to consumers during National Blueberry Month and all year-round.”