Peruvian blueberry supplies are good at the moment, although next month could see a tight market.

“Peru's supply chain has been quite fluid from the beginning of October until now. I think there was an increase in containers coming in and the market finally stabilized. Right now there is a lot of supply, ”says Joshua Minton of Frank Donio Inc. based in Hammonton, NJ.

In general, the Peruvian crop, which is usually shipped from September to December, continues to grow annually. “The fruit on the bush is ripening and the yield is increasing,” says Minton. “This year we are seeing some really big, firm, flavorful Ventura blueberries, which were usually a variety that nobody cared about.” Shipping has now moved to the Biloxi and Emerald varieties and Peru will end with the Atlas variety. "Peru has become a powerhouse and could ship for a long time."

December blueberries

In fact, some growers this year can ship from December. Last season, Peru sent shipments in early February and some even made it through March. "Peru doesn't want to compete with Chile, which peaks in January and February with a stable but slightly lower price," Minton said. That compares with the higher prices Peru generally sees in September and October, when domestic supplies have largely shut down. "But this year we heard that there are limited volumes currently, so December will be a potentially tight market with a potential gap between Peru and Chile," says Minton.

Meanwhile, Chile has started with some production in the northern highlands. “But mainly they will start coming in around week 1 with some bigger volumes,” says Minton.

In terms of demand, Minton notes that it is similar to last year and has been strong throughout the Peruvian deal. “There is a lot of movement going on. When volume is up 30 percent and movement hasn't slowed down at all, this speaks to retailers who have been able to run ads of that nature faster, ”he says.

More room for blueberries

In the past two to three weeks, a decline in supplies and the quality of California strawberries thanks to recent rains means there has also been more room for blueberries on the shelves. “But we hear that Mexico comes with strawberries. If that happens, your store shelves will have less room for blueberries. But American consumers consume blueberries on a daily basis, so I don't think the demand will decrease. It will be about shelf space, ”says Minton.

To meet that general demand, Frank Donio herself is looking for additions to her organic product program. While it currently offers conventional pints and 6 oz. shell on blueberries, it also has the ability to do the same with organic ones. “We strive to achieve a TopCrop organic label throughout the year with our contacts in Peru, Chile and the United States as well,” says Minton.

Meanwhile, price-wise, stabilized fruit, although larger and firmer, is fetching higher prices. “The price for Peru is not stronger than last year; the pandemic helped generate sales last year, ”says Minton. “Now people go out more and spend less in supermarkets. That said, last year less fruit arrived from Peru, so the price was much firmer ”.