The situation of all berries in Genoa’s retail distribution is generally very difficult, starting with blueberries. Chile is rapidly reaching the end of its season with low quality and also facing significant difficulties in transitioning the season to Spain and Morocco. As a result, prices are rising but, above all, shelf volumes are very, very limited.
The situation is different, however, for blackberries and raspberries, mainly due to climatic factors. Nevertheless, the lack of product is causing limited shelf supply and consequently very high prices. Red currants are almost absent, except for some Italian product, while for strawberries the product appears to be of good quality but available in low volumes and at very high prices.
Regarding brands, the Genoa market is generally fragmented, with several small brands and no particularly strong presence by any single player.
This is what emerges from the survey conducted by the Berry Observatory today, February 25, 2026, covering 16 stores from 15 retail banners belonging to 14 large-scale retail groups in the urban area of Genoa (Italy). Assortments were recorded in stores operating under the following banners: Basko, Carrefour Express, Carrefour Market, Conad, Coop, Doro, Dpiù, Ekom, Esselunga, IN's, Lidl, MD, Pam, Penny.
At the time of the visit, no berries were available at Eurospin and Gulliver.
Assortment
Within the berry category, the visited stores offered between 1 and 5 SKUs, with an average of 1.9 references. In the 14 stores where berries were available: 100% carried blueberries, 50% raspberries, and 21% blackberries and red currants. 7% offered a “mixed trio” pack.
Range breadth
50% of the stores carrying berries offered only one SKU, 21% offered two or three SKUs, while the remaining 29% had four or more SKUs on sale.
Quality: among the best Conad, Coop, Esselunga, Lidl...
Quality refers to product condition, measured in terms of: absence of significant defects; product that is sound but not in ideal condition (not fresh, tired-looking, shriveled, dull, lacking bloom); presence of damaged fruit and leakage; presence of spoiled fruit and mold.
The groups that showed the best average berry quality were Conad, Coop, Esselunga, Lidl, MD, Rewe, Sogegross.
Prices: wide range across different types
The recorded prices per kilogram show considerable variability.
Raspberries: min. €17.45, max. €31.92, average €28.03
Blueberries: min. €9.94, max. €31.92, average €18.60
Blackberries: min. €23.92, max. €28.64, average €26.83
Red currants: min. €23.92, max. €27.92, average €26.56
Mixed trio: €25.20/kg.
The overall average price across 38 price checks was €23.03/kg, with a minimum of €9.94 and a maximum of €31.92.
Brands
Across the visited stores, berries from a total of 16 brands were identified. The brand with the highest average prices in the category was Fogliati.
The brand with the lowest average prices for blueberries was Camposol, followed by Carrefour Il Mercato.
125 g pack dominates
The 125-gram format accounts for 70% of blueberry packs recorded.
