The Moroccan blueberries begin to arrive to EE. UU

Blueberry shipments from Morocco began arriving in the United States about two weeks ago to supplement the supply of imported berries, as Chilean shipments enter the latter part of the season. The entry permit for Moroccan berries was granted just two years ago, and Moroccan imports are not yet widespread.
“Our Moroccan blueberry program is truly exciting as it will help with some of the issues we have with production in Florida.”explains Steve Dandrea of Dandrea Produce in Vineland, NJ. He points to the weather problems that can reduce production in Florida as a reason to guarantee a stable supply of berries by diversifying the regions from which Dandrea Produce obtains its fruit.
The genesis of the new program began for Dandrea Produce about three years ago, when Steve's brother and president of Dandrea Produce, Frank Dandrea, met a Moroccan blueberry producer through contacts in the Moroccan citrus industry. The process until the approval of blueberry imports took several years, and this is the first time that the company has blueberries imported from Morocco. Air shipments began arriving two weeks ago and Dandrea estimates that they will continue until the end of May.
«It is a unique product due to its size and flavor»says Dandrea. “We ship blueberries year-round, but these are probably the most attractive blueberries we sell with the best flavor profile. "They are two or three times larger than normal blueberries, so we are selling them as a very fresh premium product."
Source: Freshplaza