Blueberries Mexico 2026 concluded with a roadmap for the next stage of Mexican blueberries

C.P. 2026

Blueberries Mexico 2026 concluded with a roadmap for the next stage of Mexican blueberries

Over two days, producers, exporters, consultants, companies and specialists addressed the factors that will shape the development of Mexican origin, from market, genetics and technical management to nutrition, health, plant stress and fruit quality.

28/05/2026

The 41st International Blueberries Mexico 2026 Seminar closed in Guadalajara, leaving a roadmap for Mexican origin: competing better will require reading the market more accurately, choosing better genetics, adjusting technical management and sustaining a fruit that is more consistent in quality, condition and commercial value.

For two days at the Hard Rock Hotel Guadalajara, producers, exporters, consultants, executives, supplier companies and industry representatives participated in a meeting that connected industry trends with concrete decisions in the field, packing and market.

Mexico enters this stage with well-known advantages, especially its proximity to North America, its production experience, and the progress of varietal renewal. The seminar provided an opportunity to examine these strengths alongside the adjustments the market now demands: improved flavor, greater efficiency, data analysis, preventative pest and disease control, fruit consistency, and a more direct relationship with the consumer.

Market, data and consumer

The market discussion opened with the panel “Mexico vs. competitors: who will capture value in the next stage of blueberries?”, which brought together representatives from Aneberries, Driscoll's Mexico, Berries Paradise, Hortifrut Mexico, North Bay Produce and Agrovision Mexico.

The panel identified value capture as one of the central questions for Mexican blueberries. Proximity to the United States remains a significant advantage, but its impact will depend on how it is combined with quality, flavor, production efficiency, competitive costs, and a more nuanced understanding of consumer preferences.

This theme continued with the presentation by Colin Fain, founder and CEO of Agronometrics, who addressed the use of data science to interpret market signals, prices, supply, and the behavior of different origins. This information entered the discussion as input for scheduling supply, interpreting market movements, and making more precise decisions.

Carlos Madariaga, from LATAM Berry Fresh, broadened the discussion to include the evolution of Mexican blueberries, trade dynamics, and global consumption patterns. Thus, the seminar connected production with a key question for the category: how to ensure that Mexican blueberries maintain their value in a market with increased supply and more demanding consumers.

Carlos Madariaga, LATAM Berry Fresh at the XLI International Blueberries Seminar Mexico 2026 © Blueberries Consulting

Genetics, management and commercial fruit

Genetics was one of the key topics of the meeting. The panel “Blueberry Varieties in Mexico: Legal Framework, Opportunities, Performance, and Projections” brought together representatives from Fall Creek Mexico, Planasa Mexico, Blueberries Plant Sciences Genetics, Fruits Giddings, and Hortifrut for a discussion on genetic access, intellectual property, territorial adaptation, productivity, and consumer response.

The discussion allowed us to view varietal selection as a supply chain decision. For Mexico, it's not just about incorporating new materials, but about evaluating how they perform in each region, what return they can generate for the producer, how they connect with the market, and what attributes sustain repeat purchases.

XLI International Blueberries Seminar Mexico 2026 © Blueberries Consulting

This varietal potential was given a technical basis in the presentation by Eduardo Betancourt, director of BETABLUE Agricultural Consulting, who addressed advanced pruning management from concrete field criteria: stem formation, wood health, fruit size, and harvest curve. His talk reinforced that genetic potential requires meticulous execution to translate into productivity and marketable fruit.

Eduardo Betancourt, director of Betablue at the XLI International Blueberries Seminar Mexico 2026 © Blueberries Consulting

Pollination was also included in this discussion. Pedro Castillo, operations leader at Beeflow Mexico, addressed its impact on the blueberry business and the main challenges in Mexico. The discussion placed pollination among the variables that influence fruit set, uniformity, size, and profitability, connecting biological management with production results.

Nutrition, physiology and fruit quality

The presentations on nutrition and physiology led the conversation to a common point: maintaining firmness, condition and quality of fruit requires more precise decisions during the production cycle.

Jorge Esquivel, an agricultural chemistry specialist, international advisor on blueberry cultivation and director of Blueberries Consulting, addressed nutritional management strategies aimed at maximum efficiency, while Gerardo Núñez, from the University of Florida, delved into rates, foliar standards and agronomic decision-making for blueberry cultivation.

Jorge Esquivel, international consultant in blueberry cultivation and director of Blueberries Consulting © Blueberries Consulting

The second day continued along these lines with a presentation by Daniel Díaz, a specialist in plant physiology, on the use of biostimulants and bioregulators to reduce stress in blueberry plants. This topic resonated with a specific production concern: maintaining yield and condition in systems increasingly subject to demands imposed by climate, management practices, and commercial objectives.

Reinaldo Campos's presentation from the University of Chile shifted the conversation toward the strategic management of calcium, magnesium, and potassium to improve fruit firmness and quality. Nutrition was thus addressed as a tool for maintaining consistency, arrival condition, and value in commercial programs.

The relationship between water, nutrition, stress, and quality was a recurring theme in several of the program's technical discussions. In a country where agricultural efficiency is gaining importance, resource management and the plant's physiological response are becoming increasingly integrated into the conversation about the competitiveness of Mexican blueberries.

Integrated Health and Management

Plant health was another key technical focus of the program. Ángel Rebollar, a specialist in phytopathology, addressed integrated strategies for the control and prevention of Lasiodiplodia in blueberries, a disease of significant importance for intensive production systems and plants with high yield potential.

On the second day, Gerardo Arias, an entomologist and applied research scientist at Driscoll's, presented advances in the integrated management of thrips and mealybugs in Mexico and Peru. The focus was on monitoring, intervention opportunities, and management tools to respond to field pressures.

These presentations placed plant health within the same framework as the seminar: anticipating risks, protecting fruit quality, and maintaining production continuity. For producers and exporters, this perspective is directly linked to quality, program compliance, and commercial confidence.

Daniel Díaz, specialist in plant physiology at the XLI International Blueberries Seminar Mexico 2026 © Blueberries Consulting

A technical and commercial meeting for the chain

In addition to the conference program, Blueberries Mexico 2026 served as a meeting point for the entire supply chain. Networking opportunities, a commercial area, coffee breaks, food, and cocktails allowed producers, exporters, consultants, suppliers, sponsors, and media partners to connect around field needs, services, technology, and business opportunities.

This exchange also explained part of the event's appeal. The technical conversation extended to the aisles, booths, and meetings between companies, reinforcing the event's role as a space for connecting applied knowledge, productive solutions, and business.

In an industry that is moving towards more precise decisions, these meetings allow real problems in the field to be brought closer with tools, advice and services that can impact productivity, quality and efficiency.

A roadmap for the next stage

The Blueberries Mexico 2026 report provided a concrete guideline for Mexican blueberries: better market understanding, better genetic selection, more precise execution of production management, improved health management, sustained nutrition, and protection of fruit quality.

Guadalajara brought together technical content and business questions that will continue to be relevant in the field, packing, and market. How to produce more efficiently, how to maintain quality, how to respond to the consumer, and how to transform the advantages of Mexican origin into value for the entire supply chain were part of the conversation that defined the event.

The takeaway from Guadalajara is clear: the next stage for Mexican blueberries will require fewer isolated decisions and greater coordination between the market, fields, packing facilities, suppliers, and consumers. This conversation brought the industry together for two days and will continue to shape the work after the seminar.