Onubafruit, a leading Spanish soft fruit company based in Huelva, has introduced an extra-early blueberry program to provide European customers with a fresher and more sustainable alternative to berries imported from the Southern Hemisphere.
The program resulted from a multi-year project to develop proprietary blueberry varieties, including Demba, Dana, Selma, and Aila, allowing the company to harvest small volumes from September and offer continuous production from late November onwards.
Despite challenges in the blueberry market, including a decline in Peruvian production due to El Niño, Onubafruit aims to capitalize on the situation, emphasizing its commitment to developing new varieties and extending the harvest window for a more flexible and sustainable supply.
Onubafruit's blueberry season in Spain typically starts in December/January, peaking from April to June. The company, one of Huelva's major growers, plans to significantly increase production volumes as new varieties mature and replace older plantations.
The commercial director, Carlos Esteve, highlights the advantage of supplying blueberries during the autumn window, offering a fresher and more sustainable product. However, climatic challenges may lead to a downward revision of planned production for the current campaign.
Looking forward, Onubafruit's strategy focuses on developing new varieties with varying chilling hour requirements to further extend the production period and enhance product quality.
Full article: Fruitnet
Photo: Martin LaBar
