Since the beginning of 2019, the agro-industrial company Hortifrut Peru has ventured into the sale of blueberries in the retail channel. His first client was Tottus Hypermarkets; At the end of 2020, the first sale was made in Peruvian Supermarkets (Plaza Vea, Vivanda and Makro); In 2021, it increased volumes in both supermarkets and, at the beginning of 2022, it entered Cencosud (Wong and Metro) with its eco-friendly packaging, managing to be present in the main chains nationwide.

"Through our presentations with our own brand and private label (store brands) we have managed to represent 50% of the blueberry market in supermarkets. Likewise, thanks to the variety of presentations, the innovation of our eco-friendly packaging and the optimization of operational and logistical processes, it is expected that sales in the retail channel will increase by 40% at the end of this year”, said Eduardo Watson, CFO from Hortifrut Peru.

The offer of blueberries in the supermarkets supplied by the company is varied. At Tottus, it serves the store brand in formats of 125, 250 and 500 grams for blueberries and 200 grams for raspberries. In addition, it hopes to launch a presentation of 900 grams of blueberries in a short time. Meanwhile, in Peruvian Supermarkets, the presentations are in packages of 100 and 500 in blueberries, as well as 100 grams in raspberries, where it also hopes to launch a 220-gram presentation as soon as production increases.

"We have managed to sell up to 7,500 kilos of blueberries per week in supermarkets, when the average in our beginnings barely exceeded 500 kilos. Achieving that volume is very good for us and it has been largely the result of the variety and innovation that we have been doing with our presentations and packaging, which has allowed us to increase sales in a sustained manner and with a lot of growth projection”, commented Eduardo Watson.

Blueberries from Chao, in La Libertad, are shipped weekly to the agro-industrial warehouse in Lima, from where they are distributed to supermarkets. In addition to continuing to position blueberries, Hortifrut Peru has been developing projects to diversify its offer and maintain sustained growth in supermarkets.

eco-friendly packaging

“We are very happy to have developed our first sustainable packaging under the Hortifrut brand for Peruvian retail. This eco-friendly presentation is different, unique and incomparable, and is made from Kraft paper with 70% recycled paper and 30% fiber certified as biodegradable and Food Contact Safe, in addition to having a recycled plastic lid with the same certifications. This is how we take care of the environment and maintain the quality of the blueberry," said Julio César Bartra, head of sales at Hortifrut Peru.

The company's main challenge for the end of the year is to continue positioning the brand. Reaching 50% of the retail channel has been a great success, and this motivates the company to continue innovating, since it is a factor that consumers like a lot. "The public is increasingly demanding, they demand varieties and formats, and by tasting the products we offer, they can recognize the quality of Hortifrut berries," Bartra stressed.

Hortifrut is positioned as the world leader in the production and marketing of blueberries and other "berries" such as strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, among others. For more than 30 years, it has been taking its fresh products to markets such as North America, Europe, South America, the Middle East and Asia.