The Blueberry and Red Fruit Festival of Villaviciosa, in the Spanish region of Asturias, has reached its eighth edition, consolidating itself as one of the most important Festivals in Asturias and northern Spain. This citizen meeting is held annually on the last weekend of July and the participation of Asturian families and tourists, social organizations and merchants, and companies linked to cultivation in its different applications is increasingly massive, surpassing every year. year in their achievements.

Pioneers in “small fruits”

A large part of the blueberry plantations in Asturias are located in the Council of Villaviciosa and it is the place where in 1989 one of the first professional blueberry plantations in northern Spain was carried out, crowning a journey that began in the 80s, when they began the first tests with the so-called “little fruits” (blueberry, strawberry, raspberry and blackberry).

The Blueberry and Red Fruit Festival is already an event of tradition and dissemination of the crop in its different expressions and uses, in which it can be tasted as fresh fruit and applied to pastries, haute cuisine, cocktails and activities. cultural events of different formats, as well as lots of entertainment for the family in their different age ranges, in an atmosphere of warmth and hospitality.

Management and industry

The meeting is divided into two main phases. On Friday, a technical day will be held, focused on farmers and various professionals in the field, with the participation of specialists and talks about the crop and its management, in addition to learning about the latest research and developments in the sector. In the morning, the speakers of the most diverse topics related to blueberries – regarding their management and their market – in addition to the specialists linked to research and the most diverse related services, present and develop their themes to the attendees in a special enclosure.

In this facet of the Festival, which is more related to the agronomic and commercial aspects of blueberry cultivation, technical visits to farms are also carried out and some tools, machines and technologies are tested in the field.

On this day the director of Blueberries, Jorge Esquivel, presented the talk “Current news and trends in the blueberry industry in the world”, in which he made a complete analysis of the development of the crop around the world, both in its production map and that of its consumption, reinforcing the growth trend of the industry, both in volumes and quality of the fruit, and ensuring sustainability of the industry due to the permanent increase in universal demand.

On this same day the talks were given: “The red fruit sector faces the challenge of export”, by Maria Teresa Ramírez; “Strawberries in northern Spain, types of cultivation, varieties, harvest time”, by specialist Juan Carlos García Rubio; and “Zero waste and ecological solutions for blueberry cultivation”, exhibited by Miguel Latorre Herrero.

Culture and entertainment

In a second facet of the Villaviciosa meeting, on Saturday and Sunday the Festival for the community takes place, with various commercial stalls that offer all types of red fruits, from seedlings and plants of blueberries, strawberries, blackberries or raspberries, to products with added value, such as jams, smoothies, juices, jellies, yogurts, powders, cheeses and even honey with blueberries. These are days where producers are the protagonists, so they offer and sell their products to visitors, thereby bringing the countryside closer to consumers.

Furthermore, on this last weekend of July, different activities related to red fruits took place, such as a homemade dessert contest, or the best plantation and best blueberry competition. All this accompanied by theatrical and artistic presentations for children and adults, such as the children's workshop “We make healthy red fruit gummies”, or the “Watercolor Workshop, illustration of blueberries and natural painting of a still life of our own creation”, converting consumption of the blueberry into a cultural reality for the inhabitants of Asturias and visitors to the Vllaviciosa Blueberry and Red Fruit Festival.