Diego Castagnasso: Blueberry profitability today depends on timing

Meeting in Paracas:

Diego Castagnasso: the profitability of blueberries today depends on timing

In Paracas 2026, the consultant addressed how genetics, quality, costs and commercial opportunity are reshaping the profitability of blueberries.

18/05/2026

Diego Castagnasso © Blueberries Consulting

The global market of blueberry The industry is undergoing a rapid transformation driven by genetics, technology, logistics, and increasingly intense international competition. For Diego Castagnasso, director of Drip Consulting (Uruguay), this change has reshaped business priorities: today, simply producing and selling fruit is no longer enough; profitability increasingly depends on delivering the right product to the right market at the right time, with an appropriate cost structure.

That was one of the central ideas she shared during her participation in Blueberry Convention Special Edition Paracas 2026, where he presented the talk “From origin to consumer: Strategic decisions that determine profitability of blueberryFrom that perspective, the Argentine specialist argued that timing has become one of the most delicate aspects of the business, because in a more integrated market, coinciding with supply peaks or arriving late can compromise the profitability of even premium fruit.

A business that changed its priorities

According to Castagnasso, the sector's evolution over the last two decades has been profound. While in 2006 the priority was having fruit to sell, and in 2016 the focus shifted to quality, today the key difference lies in combining product, destination, arrival time, and cost structure.

According to the consultant, this change necessitates a more integrated approach to the business. It is no longer enough to produce well or to have high-quality fruit; profitability also depends on when the product reaches the market and how well that supply aligns with demand and with the behavior of other exporting countries.

Timing becomes central to the business

Within this framework, Castagnasso argues that timing has become crucial. In an increasingly interconnected market, launching late or coinciding with weeks of high demand can completely alter a program's commercial outcome.

His argument is that the blueberry It no longer competes solely on quality, but also on opportunity. In other words, the value of fruit is not defined solely by its attributes, but also by the moment it enters the commercial circuit and by the market conditions it encounters upon arrival.

An increasingly technologically advanced industry

Castagnasso also highlighted the level of modernization that the chain has achieved. blueberryAs he explained, today the industry has selection systems supported by artificial intelligence, new analysis tools, and an increasingly broad and specialized varietal offering.

In his view, this technological evolution can no longer be separated from commercial strategy. Genetics, fruit selection, adaptation to different climates, and market segmentation are all part of the same conversation in an industry that is moving toward ever-greater integration between production, technology, and marketing.

More consumption, but also more competitive pressure

Regarding the balance between supply and demand, Castagnasso maintained that the market continues to grow, but it is also becoming more unstable. As global consumption increases, so does the risk of oversupply at certain times of the year, as well as the possibility of shortages at others.

In that context, the specialist highlighted Peru's place in the international blueberry business. He emphasized its sustained production capacity, its growing share of export volume, and the investment in genetics and technology that has accompanied this growth. At the same time, he cautioned that this development brings new challenges, particularly regarding climate, labor, and the market's capacity to absorb large volumes without impacting returns.

An increasingly integrated business

Towards the end of his analysis, Castagnasso maintained that the industry will continue to move towards greater integration between genetics, marketing, and technology. In his view, the future of the sector will continue to be marked by a high pace of innovation, driven by the global scale that the business has achieved. blueberry.

“I see it as prosperous, positive, and increasingly integrated,” he summarized. And he concluded with a definition that encapsulates his view of the current state of the industry: “The blueberry It is clearly an engine of innovation.”

Check out Diego Castagnasso's video on our YouTube channel Blueberries TV , where it addresses how timing, costs and logistics can define the profitability of blueberries.