In this 'in charts' mini-series of articles, Colin Fain of data visualization tool Agronometrics illustrates how the U.S. market is evolving. In each series, he will look at a different fruit commodity, focusing on a different origin in each installment to see what factors are driving change.

Over the last eight years, blueberries have seen impressive growth. They have gone from being featured as a common ingredient in cobblers, muffins and pancakes, to taking a new life as a superfood giving smoothies and breakfast cereals an extra antioxidant boost.

In 2017, the industry moved 38% more volume than in 2010 - an impressive level of growth, especially given the complexities of bringing this delicate fruit to market.

Blueberry Movements in Lbs

(Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics)

Pricing has strongly supported this level of growth, maintaining the yearly weighted average fluctuating between US$3.00 and US$3.30 per pound. Average pricing in 2017 reached a nearly all-time high of US$3.29 per pound.

Blueberry Shipping Point Prices per Lb in USD

(Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics)

The choppiness of the U.S. market prices and volumes are reflective of the intense seasonality that marks the industry, leaving two distinctive commercial windows with high pricing right around April and October.

US Blueberry Shipping Point Prices per Lb, by Month, Comparing the Last Four Years

(Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics)

Looking at the blueberry markets, there are loads of stories that can be told. For example, how producers have been working to fill the commercial windows mentioned -  with incredible growth from Mexico and a focus on the April window, while Peru has been targeting the gap around October.

Another story we are looking forward to covering is the dramatic events happening during the U.S., where the freezes in the southern states and California are driving prices to the highest April and June have seen yet.

US Blueberry Movements by Month in Lbs, Comparing the Last Four Years

(Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics)

In our mini-series, we work to tell some of the stories that are moving the industry. Feel free to take a look a some of the other articles listed below.

Avocados:

Avocados in Charts: Dynamic growth and opportunities in the U.S. market

Avocados in Charts: California at the heart of the US market

Avocados in Charts: Peru – An opening window of opportunity

Agronometrics is a data visualization tool built to help the industry make sense of the huge amounts of data that you depend on. We strive to help farmers, shippers, buyers, sellers, movers and shakers get an objective point of view on the markets to help them make informed strategic decisions. If you found the information and the charts from this article useful, feel free to visit us at www.agronometrics.com where you can easily recreate these same graphs, or explore the other 20 fruits we currently track, creating your own reports automatically updated with the latest data daily.

If you would like to prioritize any particular commodity, please let us know in the comments.

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