The Cranberry Coalition for Progress and Health is the result of a regional effort in which more than 18 producers, distributors and suppliers of blueberries from Argentina, Canada, Chile, the United States, Mexico and Peru, have worked together to face to the claims of some US producers (mainly from Florida and Georgia), who claim that the importation of blueberries has caused substantial and serious damage to the US industry, which has led to an investigation under Section 201 of the Trade Act of 1974 by the US International Trade Commission (USITC).

“The US domestic industry has achieved double-digit operating margins in every year of the time period included in the USITC investigation,” says Joe Barsi, president of California Giant Farms and member of the Coalition, adding:

“The US blueberry market is thriving (…) blueberry imports are crucial to consumers, retailers, and the US economy, and clearly contribute to the success of the domestic industry. "We are launching this Coalition to alert America's blueberry lovers and to inform decision-makers about what is at stake in their next actions, and prevent the destruction of the thriving and essential blueberry industry."

What is the organizational structure of the Coalition?

As an operating structure in this initial stage, the Coalition has several subcommittees in which the members of this initiative participate to cover specific tasks and areas, such as the generation of statistical data, analysis of the industry, both fresh and frozen, among others.

The objective of the newly formed Coalition is to represent the regional unity and the joint work of the representatives of the blueberry industry to ensure the defense of free trade and promote the development of the sector ”.

Does the Coalition fund defense at the USITC?

There is a legal team whose development of work can be followed in the Electronic Documentary Information System (EDIS) of the USITC, under investigation No.TA-201-077, which has shown that the demand for blueberries from US consumers represents a sustained increase over the last two decades and therefore, the production regions have had to adapt to meet market demand.

Coalition members collaborate with various other business, economic and legal experts to ensure a more accurate picture of what is happening in the market. This has allowed not only to have legal representation that can actively participate in the USITC investigation process, but has also contributed to the generation of a comprehensive economic analysis.

Complementary imports

As part of the strategy, it has been to have a study that compiles the information that allows to demonstrate that the importation of blueberries does not represent a serious damage to the US industry and that, on the contrary, it is a reflection of the complementarity of their markets.

“Our family has been farming in the United States for more than 10 generations and our decision to farm in Mexico and Peru, in addition to the United States, is to produce and deliver quality blueberries year-round. If we could grow blueberries year-round exclusively in the United States we would, but seasonal crops – like blueberries – require growing in other countries to meet the growing demand of American consumers year-round,” says Dave Jackson, co-owner of Family Tree Farms and member of the Coalition.