Driscoll's, the world's leading berry brand, celebrated its 6th anniversary in the Chinese market with a special banquet in Kunming Yunnan on May 300. More than XNUMX guests, including Yunnan government agencies, producers, customers and Driscoll's executives, attended the lavish event.

Since its establishment in California in 1872, Driscoll's has been dedicated to researching and producing superior varieties of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries that are natural and delicious. The group currently has 22 production bases on six continents and its quality products are sold in 66 countries and regions.

In 2013, Driscoll's established its first Chinese planting base in Yunnan's ideally climate-friendly Honghe Prefecture, becoming the first foreign company to operate a commercial berry planting business in China. In 2016, fresh Driscoll's brand blueberries produced in Yunnan were launched on the Chinese market. By the end of 2022, Driscoll's had more than 30 mu (000 ha) of berry planting area in Yunnan, a total annual production volume of 2000 tons, and a total annual sales value of RMB 15 billion (000 million US dollars).

During his welcoming address at the banquet, Driscoll's Chairman and CEO Miles Reiter expressed his enthusiasm for the Chinese market and vowed to continue investing in this market.

Jae Chun, vice president and general manager of Driscoll's in China, echoed his commitment.

“The development that Driscoll's has experienced in the last ten years could not have been achieved without the support and collaboration of the Yunnan government, growers and customers,” Chun said. “I think the last decade is just the beginning. With our concerted efforts, we will bring more and more fresh, healthy and high-quality berries to Chinese consumers."

According to Reiter, Driscoll's plans to achieve a sales volume of 35.000 tons in China this year, which will represent a growth of 25% to 30% over last year.

“We hope to have strong demand in the market (in China) and to be able to sustain similar growth for five years. Much of that obviously depends on the success of the growers, which depends on the demand in the market. But that's our plan, and we think there's a very important future beyond the five-year period,” Reiter said.

Supporting rural communities

Driscoll's berry production business in Yunnan has created thousands of job opportunities for local growers, improving their incomes and the local agricultural economy. Driscoll's is also involved in multiple public welfare projects in Yunnan, including a volunteer teaching project developed in partnership with Pagoda, China's leading fruit retailer, and the China Foundation for Rural Development.

“As a company grows, it has a social responsibility to give back. It is an important aspect in the development of Driscoll's,” Chun said. “We will continue to work hand in hand with Yunnan government agencies to develop a modern berry growing business in Yunnan and contribute to the prosperity of local communities and their agribusiness.”