Guest article by Diego Castagnasso, a fresh produce and blueberry industry expert. Loud, opinionated, INFORMED! Diego, writes DC’s B-Side’s newsletter as he speaks and speaks as he writes. You can subscribe, under your own peril, to his newsletter here or visit his less fun (for now) website Drip Consulting.

“….Our procurement staff is moving from one country to another.

Friday morning the meeting was tense. There are still not enough blueberries!!

Everybody is looking at Peru, the curve is moving….”

That might be a transcript of a conversation I had with a blueberry importer last week…

Week 35 was 10% higher than in 2023 and the forecast is showing a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.

But that 10% is not enough so we need to keep looking

Next Stop South Africa

Following the “recipe,” we check the info, and I am in luck, the “Holy Book” of the blueberry world is out.

The IBO REPORT 2024

A paragraph on page 107 caught my attention…

“…In terms of timing, many growers are attempting to expand the ‘shoulders’ of production to avoid having such pronounced peaks in October-November. That is the natural window for the Western Cape, which accounts for around 60% of South Africa’s blueberry plantings, with the remainder split mainly between the northern region of Limpopo and South Africa’s northwest, both with earlier seasons that peak in September and October...”

I checked the hard data, in September 2023, South Africa exported 2.707,4 MT. That is not much to cover the GAP but it is something…

Where did those kilos go?

Peru Fresh Export Volume By Reporter | Cultivated Conventional

Now I need to get local info so it is time to check the network.

Fortunately, I have a friend living in the Western Cape!

He Is a great guy, knowledgeable in the blueberry business, and an agronomist!

Don't you love having a great network?

He told me...

“... I can tell you that a lot of growers in the Western Cape Region got hit by frost on 28/08/24. Not sure on losses yet, but damages borne by growers in certain areas are significant, you can see the frost damage in the blues you buy at the local markets…”

“...There are some farms that weren't affected because they are in zones with a microclimate…”

“....the northern regions were also affected by the frost and the rain but probably less than the Western Cape farms.”

“… We’ll be able to see the extent of the damages with the passing of the days although according to information from BerriesZA, the exports for last week (week 35) at 526 tons, which is much better than last year’s 378 tons…“

Well, Argentina was tough, and South Africa is no picnic either…

Obviously, prices keep going up….

How much?

For that info and much more, you just need to Schedule a CALL 

Have a Great Week!!!

And remember, if you liked what you read, send it to a friend.

PS: Of course, South Africa is not the only place to go to get blueberries; you can also go to Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Namibia.

PS1: Zimbabwe, my friend told me, was a bit behind because of the weather but they are expecting “significant” volumes in the next few weeks.

PS2: Check the cover of the IBO Report, it is great!