A Significant Impact on the Market

September 30, 2020

The 2020 Wild Blueberry Harvest Will Have a Significant Impact on the Market

Dear Clients,

It’s our pleasure to share a brief overview of the state of our harvests and its impact on the wild blueberry market.

For two years now, thanks to our partnership with Bleuets Mistassini, we have become the co-owners of wild blueberry fields in Quebec and New Brunswick.

Thanks to these acquisitions, our fruit supply is secured, as long as Mother Nature does not play any tricks on us.

A Good Harvest in Quebec

Quebec stands out for its wild blueberry harvest yield in 2020. Unlike other regions, we had a good harvest.

Extreme Conditions Elsewhere

Outside of Quebec, the picture was very different. A frost during the bloom, a devastating drought and labour issues caused by the corona virus pandemic had major impacts on the harvest, depending on the region.

The USA’s wild blueberry production is essentially located in Maine, where the wild blueberry industry has also had to contend with fungal plant diseases, and this year’s harvest was certainly well below last year’s total volume of approximately 87 million pounds (40,000 tonnes).

As elsewhere, one of the biggest problems in Maine was the drought that hit much of northern New England throughout the summer, in addition to a surprise frost in early June in some sectors.

In Maine, the pandemic also made it more difficult to hire seasonal workers, and additional safety measures complicated fruit picking.

Evolution of Inventories and Demand

As you may know, the pandemic has generated significant growth in the demand for several types of foods, especially those that with positive health attributes. Consequently, wild blueberries are in high demand and we don’t expect any slowdown in the coming months and beyond.

Moreover, before the start of the pandemic, wild blueberry inventories were at their lowest. This situation, together with the poor harvest in the Atlantic provinces and Maine, creates upward pressure on prices. Unfortunately, as a result of this, we foresee a significant price increase.

This situation, as you can see, is beyond our control.

Optimal Quality Preservation of the Fruit

Did you know that we mainly pick wild blueberries at night? We have adopted this practice to harvest blueberries in the best possible conditions for the fruit. The freshness of the night firms up the fruit and makes it less sensitive to handling. In addition, to improve the overall quality of the fruit, we have designed harvesters that remove much of the EVM (extraneous vegetable matter) directly at the field. The maximum time between picking and freezing at -18˚C (0˚F) is 36 hours.

Dried, Pureed, Juiced, Concentrated, Frozen…

We process wild blueberries to meet your specific needs. Our portfolio includes dried and pureed fruit, NFC juice and concentrate, powder and of course, IQF.