In recent years, the consumption, production and world trade of blueberries have only grown. This is evidenced by Faostat data from the last two decades and corroborated by multiple international studies, which unanimously agree that the sector and per capita consumption will continue to increase significantly worldwide in the coming years.

The product category, supported by such relevant projections, is, in fact, large enough for the sector to take another step in creating value with new levels of differentiation, and that is the objective of the Sekoya brand platform. ® B2B.

“As a strong brand marketer, and seeing that without a strong brand, the size of the blueberry category in the Netherlands is already 75% of the Red Bull category, I think there is such an opportunity. The key The criteria for branded fruit is never to disappoint the consumer, so consistent quality is needed (a Chiquita banana or a Pink Lady apple always deliver what is expected of them). Through research, we know that more than 50% of consumer experiences with Blueberries today are negative, and less than 25% of consumer experiences align with consumer preferences. The main problem is the firmness of the fruit, which is why Sekoya focuses on offering consistent quality, with a crunchy texture and a long shelf life,” says Hans. Liekens, Sekoya retail and value chain manager.

“Sekoya is the first platform to offer a 52-week supply program of crisp, long-lasting and flavorful blueberries with consistent quality. Most of the other programs focus on Southern Highbush/Low-Zero Chill (varieties grown mainly in Spain, Morocco, Peru…) and some of them on Northern Highbush/Mid-High Chill (varieties grown in Poland, Central Europe, North America , Chile…), and to offer 52 weeks of consistency, we combine both. Sekoya has 2 varieties for Low Chill (Sekoya Pop FCM14-052 and Sekoya Beauty FCM12-097) and 2 varieties for High Chill (Sekoya Crunch FC13-083 and Sekoya Grande FC13-122).

Outstanding firmness and caliber

Both of these factors, in addition to their taste, are the most outstanding characteristics of the new Sekoya varieties, according to Hans, who hopes they will fuel the growth momentum of consumption in this category. “We know that only 20% of the European population eats blueberries, so 80% have not yet discovered them. If we ask consumers (users and non-users), more than 75% prefer larger blueberries, so we need larger-sized fruits to attract new consumers to the category."

“Soft fruit leads to supermarket waste (and dissatisfied consumers, which in turn leads to fewer repeat purchases), so the best way to grow the category and its shelf space is to reduce the waste along the value chain offering firmer products”. fruit with a longer shelf life.

14 highly professional licensee members

Sekoya is focusing its activity on 3 key consumer markets: United States-Canada, Europe and China, supplying its premium fruit through a semi-exclusive network of 14 highly professional licensee members (growers/marketers), organized and managed to deliver volumes already defined to all markets.

“We create a very flexible business environment for our retail customers. Chains can choose from 14 potential suppliers for the same fruit. Most produce in 4-6 countries, so supermarkets can source according to their needs (with local/national, organic production). ..)”.

“As for the production itself, we see that most Sekoya members are looking for sub-licensees to better serve the needs of supermarkets (local production) or to complete their 52-week supply. If there are growers interested in growing Sekoya, we pass on their presentation and details to the 14 members and they decide whether or not to contact the potential member."

"In this sense, Huelva is and will continue to be an interesting area for the cultivation of blueberries. It should be noted that this Spanish province is the closest growing area to the European consumer. There is a risk that everyone will plant fruit with the same genetic characteristics, which could generate an oversupply in the short term and make the business less attractive. In addition, we cannot ignore the competition from other regions, which will continue to grow, but plant varieties with the best genetic characteristics close to the consumer, the commercial advantages are great, including the supply of local products and a reduced carbon footprint. Also, COVID showed us that some supermarkets are willing to buy their products as close to home as possible.”

“In both cases, supermarkets or growers interested in our project can contact Sekoya members directly or contact me as retail and value chain manager,” says Hans.

Blueberry consumption could double in the next 7 years

World blueberry consumption is expected to increase in the coming years. “In fact, the data shows that we are currently consuming around 1 million tons of blueberries globally, and within 7 years, this amount will increase to 2 million tons. With the new Sekoya® Genetics we can enter a new and much bigger category than the current breakfast category: the snack category. Did you know that the global snack category is 4 times larger than the breakfast category ($1450 billion vs. $398 billion)?” Hans says. “Today, in Europe, most blueberries are eaten for breakfast. With bigger, crunchy, ready-to-eat berries, blueberries have the potential to become a healthy alternative for modern consumers in the fast-growing take-out category."