It is almost time for the Portuguese blueberry harvest to begin. According to Lourenço de Botton, from the Portuguese fresh produce exporter Logofruits, demand increases every season: “Our blueberry harvest is scheduled to start in week 3. As a company, we expect a harvest of around 1.600 tons of blueberries in 2024. In Overall, demand seems to be very strong, which is not only due to the lack of volumes from Chile and Peru. It is also a simple fact that the demand for blueberries increases year after year, and this growth does not seem to stop anytime soon.

Logofruits is not as worried about competition from other Portuguese blueberry exporters, as De Bottom says they hope to sell blueberries all year round. “In terms of direct competition within Portugal, we can say that we feel comfortable in our position, being by far the largest producer. Portuguese blueberries are known for their excellent quality and our season, which runs from January to July, is undoubtedly a very interesting window. “Now, with the BBC Tomra machine, we hope to sell blueberries all year round, with our own fruit and also with third parties.”

The lower availability of South American blueberries means that European blueberries will be more expensive: "So far, we have noticed a slight increase in blueberry prices. This has to do with the lack of fruit from Peru and Chile but also with inflation in general. All in all, we hope to have the best season so far, not only in kilos but also in quality. Fortunately, our client list remains the same as last season, which means we can grow with them and work closely together,” concludes de Botton.