China is the largest export market for Peruvian blueberries. This year, the production season for Peruvian blueberries has been ahead of schedule, the export volume has increased and the price is generally stable. Imported blueberries are one of the main products of Guangzhou Wanxin International Trade Co., Ltd. Recently, FreshPlaza and Polaris Liu, director of the company's foreign trade department, held talks to learn about the behavior of the Peruvian blueberry market this year.

“The production season for Peruvian blueberries has been moved up by almost a month this year, with the first shipment arriving in China in mid to late July, while last year's production season started in mid-August. Peru's overall export volume has increased this year, with shipments to China in the first phase increasing by around 20-30% compared to the same period last year. The quality in general is satisfactory. About 70% of arrivals have good texture. Most of the batches are covered by the flower, but the flavor of the previous batches was relatively sour. In addition, it is estimated that this year's production season will end one month earlier than last year. At present, due to local conditions, the Peruvian production areas have reduced the number of blueberries exported to China. This year's Peruvian blueberry production season is expected to reduce shipments or even end around January." Polaris offers an overview of the current Peruvian blueberry season.

"Affected by local weather, the export of Peruvian blueberries may decrease in the last stage, and some varieties will be smaller in size, and others will be more acidic. This year's price is slightly lower than last year, but overall it remains stable. On the other hand, due to the impact of weather conditions, the overall quality of China's domestic blueberries is quite poor. The national blueberry production season has ended early, and the taste is not as good as in previous years due to heavy rains in the production area, which reduces the impact on Peruvian blueberries. By Therefore, even if the Peruvian blueberry season is brought forward, it will have little effect on the sales of imported blueberries."

There are many varieties of Peruvian blueberries. Currently, the most common variety is Ventura. This variety is large and relatively affordable, but has a slightly sour taste. Polaris has observed that there is a trend to update Peruvian blueberry varieties: “More and more brands are planting the Sekoya Pop variety, which is characterized by large fruits, mostly 18-20mm in diameter, a high brix, and it is more suitable for the taste of the Chinese market.”

As the Peruvian blueberry season comes to a close, Chilean blueberries take over the market. When talking about the behavior of the blueberry market in the two origins, Polaris shared: “In the last two years, the export volume and quality of Chilean blueberries have not been stable enough. This year, the export volume of Chilean blueberries has decreased between 8% and 10%. On the other hand, Peruvian blueberries have a better market in China, and the volume of consumption in the country increases year after year, so there will always be research on varieties according to market preferences. However, the Chilean blueberry sector needs to better understand the Chinese market and discover innovative varieties that can fully satisfy the needs of local consumers."

In addition to imported blueberries, Polaris is also very optimistic about the development of domestic blueberries: “Some varieties of domestic blueberries are of good quality and firm enough. At present, many foreign companies have cooperated with domestic blueberry bases to grow together. We will also develop more domestic blueberries, so that imported and domestic blueberries alternate with each other, making blueberries still available year-round.”

Guangzhou Wanxin International Trade Co, Ltd. was established in 2012, mainly engaged in fruit import and export trade, wholesale and retail. Sales channels include wholesale market stalls, chain stores, large supermarkets, online e-commerce, and its own brand of “Tiantian Daka” beverage store. The company mainly markets a wide variety of fruits, such as blueberries, grapes, avocados and cherries. As for the domestically produced Shine Muscat grapes, it has its own “Fu” brand with several sub-brands and exports them to Southeast Asia and Europe.