In recent years, Polish blueberry production has expanded to numbers between 60,000 and 68,000 tons per year, with around 30% of this volume destined for export.

In 2023, the main destinations for the fruit were Germany (9,240 tons), Great Britain (4,260 tons), and the Netherlands (1,190 tons). According to Poland's sanitary inspection agency, PIORiN, data, from 2022 to 2024, the largest importers of Polish blueberries outside the European Union include Ukraine, Serbia, Belarus, and Moldova. Other destinations outside Europe include Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.

Although these markets remain an attractive destination for the Polish blueberry industry, proper preparation of the fruit and ensuring stable conditions during transport are required to ensure that the fruit arrives at its destination in good quality.

This idea was reinforced by Piotr Syguła, Berry Poland's General Manager for Purchasing and Sales, during the 13th International Blueberry Conference held in Poland this month.

“At the moment, we need to diversify sales markets,” he said. “Our goal in a few years is to distribute sales in such a way that comparable quantities of blueberries are delivered to the domestic market, to our European customers and non-European countries.”

While interest in a standard level of fruit is increasing, the demand for the premium category is also growing.

“We see that the standard level is rising, but the demand for the premium category is also growing. There is an increasing group of customers who are willing to pay more for better quality blueberries, offering them better taste experiences or a quality guarantee. The importance of the organic category or local products is growing in some markets,” said Rick Hensgens, commercial director of Frutania Poland.

Towards premium quality

Marcin Wereszczuk, sales and producer support at Fall Creek Poland, emphasized the desire of traders and consumers for premium quality.

“Premiumization is a growth strategy,” he said. “Thanks to better quality, we can convince consumers to pay more for a product,” he added.

During his participation in the congress, he highlighted the idea that “better quality can be visible in the properties of the blueberries themselves, such as their size, appearance, and taste.”

“The way they are packaged and displayed on shop shelves also plays an important role,” he said.

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