Source of vitamins C and K, manganese, fiber, with important antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and stimulating effects on the immune system, blueberries are most frequently present on the tables of the world.

Berryland, is a 100% Guanajuato brand pioneer in the state that produces blueberries, made up of 8 different companies.

In 2013 it began its production through soil systems; in 2016 it migrated to hydroponics production.

“It is a family business that started in 2013 where several family members are involved and with the effort of several years and the effort of different partners, after actually Guanajuato in theory was not an ideal area to produce blueberries, we have confirmed and He has seen that Guanajuato is really one of the best areas to produce blueberries in the country due to its strategic location and its climate, ”said Sebastián Loza, a member of the Berryland Board of Directors.

It currently has four different projects covering 104 hectares: 2 located in León and 2 in San Francisco del Rincón.

It economically impacts communities in 4 municipalities (León, San Francisco Del Rincón, Purísima del Rincón and Manuel Doblado), through the jobs they generate.

Growing exporters

Their main export destinations are the United States and Canada, although they have already exported on a trial scale to Europe.

Unlike other berry-producing companies, located either within the Mexican Republic or in countries like Peru or Chile, Berryland has a great advantage.

“It is the proximity we have with the United States, that in 48 hours we are already in the supermarket unlike Latin America, South America, which takes about a month for the ship to arrive its fruit, consequently, we have much better fruit to offer to the US market. Unlike Mexico, we have differentiation in terms of size and flavor due to the cold hours. Being further north than Jalisco and Michoacán, which is Guanajuato's direct competition in the production of blueberries, we have a better size, better flavor, so that is where we differ in terms of the product and, without a doubt, Berryland goes hand in hand with the personal growth, of the human part and of the projection of each person who works in it ”.

Advantages of the hydroponed

95% of the production in Berryland is in hydroponics, which is a containerized substrate system of Israeli origin used in the country for approximately six years.

Mexico is by the way, a pioneer in the hydroponics substrate.

“One hectare of blueberry in the first year is approximately 10 tons per hectare; In its second year we can go at 20 tons, in order to reach its maximum peak, which is tentatively in the third year until year 10, up to 25-30 tons. Actually being above 20 tons is already very good in the industry and in the competition, but we in Berryland have the goal set at 25 and 30 tons per hectare ”.

For all those who make up Berryland, the biggest challenge has been to innovate and implement new techniques that contribute to the production of a better product, a quality that has helped them in this pandemic.

“On the issue of the pandemic we have seen that unlike other sectors or other crops that had a decrease in demand, the consumption of Blueberry actually increased, of fresh blueberries, as it is a product with many properties, with many antioxidants and This made it even stronger in the North American market after the pandemic, so it can be said that we are better than ever ”.

From March (when the health emergency began) to date, its sales increased by 10%.

A duo that pays off

It was in 2014 when Berryland approached COFOCE to ask for guidance wishing to promote its brand; As a result of that meeting, a series of supports came to the company.

“COFOCE has supported us in international travel and in Expos. The trips we have had were to Europe mainly to Germany, Holland, Spain; we went to Morocco, Portugal. We have been to the United States, to Las Vegas; to LDCs to Los Angeles, New Orleans; commercial mission went to Europe, through them it was where we sold Mastronardi ”.

They have also received advice, information, financial support and accompaniment, in addition to linking them with international buyers.

At the moment they are supported with International Certifications and in the process of their digital transformation.

Alfonso Mena, Executive of International Promotion of the Agrifood Sector at COFOCE, highlighted the work carried out by Berryland and recognized its interest in working with different crops of great value in international markets.

He said that during this pandemic, people in the US and Canada, by spending more time at home, chose to take better care of their diet and super foods such as blueberries had an increase in demand, a situation that helped Berryland maintain its exports during these months.

Ready to take the next step

They know that digitization is very important to make themselves known and sell their products in the world, therefore, they work hand in hand with COFOCE in the design of their website.

“If so, it is a new market that as a Berryland company we want to start exploring, that is why we are going to do the page, but if we see a lot of future to reach some market niches that as a company if we did not have that page we would not reach ”.

Among its plans is to sell in Asia, mainly to China, action that will be reinforced when its website is ready.

"In fact, on the website we are also going to make a section that comes in Mandarin to have new clients there and our goal is to start selling to China."

They also propose to place a section on the site to reach the consumer directly and buy their products directly from them.

They diversify varieties of arandano

At the moment Berryland does not have in mind to add another type of fruit to its project, they prefer to focus on giving their consumers new options and flavors of berries.

They normally work with biloxi blueberry crops, although at the moment they have varieties from Spain and Australia.

In addition, they have 8 new varieties in testing.

“Berryland currently has 4 varieties in production, this is one of them, this is from the first year, it was planted in February 2020 this year, it is called Atlas. This variety is characterized by its larger size, greater flavor than that is what the American consumer demands more and more; As you can see, this variety named Atlas is now installed in a mesh system, instead of plastic, since we are now in vegetative development, which is what the plant requires, which is direct radiation from the sun.

They hope to start blooms of this variety from September to have the strongest in October-November, which will be productions of January, February, March and April 2021, known as late window, which is when Mexico is left alone in the market and there are very good prices in the United States.