Blueberries have a really good reputation these days, so you don’t have much of an excuse if you aren’t selling them that well.
Shopper research by the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council showed:
- 87% of the household primary or shared shoppers said they would purchase fresh blueberries on their next grocery trip; and
- 57% of those shoppers said they intend to buy fresh blueberries at least once a week.
And there should be even more supply than there was last year, according to the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council and the North American Blueberry Council.
Buyers will have an estimated 1.5 billion pounds of U.S. highbush blueberries in 2022-2023 in the market, which includes domestic and imported blueberries. That’s a 13.2% spike from the 2021-2022 season.
Where to source them?
The Florida harvest will continue through the start of summer. Other major regions harvesting this summer include Georgia, California, North Carolina, New Jersey, Washington, Oregon, Michigan and Canada/British Columbia.
How to market and promote them?
July is National Blueberry Month, so there’s still time to come up with promotion plans.
First off, highlight the nutrition and functional health benefits. Just one cup of blueberries reduces the negative effects of a high-fat or high-sugar meal, according to research published in the January 2022 issue of Clinical Nutrition scientific journal.
And, of course, there is no shortage of delicious recipes to promote. Consider going beyond the pies, cobblers, muffins and traditional uses. Suggest adding blueberries to savory dishes, such as salads, grain bowls and chicken satay with blueberry ginger sauce (really!).
Blueberry.org/recipes has several categories of recipes, including our two favorite: 5 Ingredients or Less and 2-Minute How-Tos.
— Tom Burfield contributed to this report.