The geography of the German blackberry market has changed dramatically. While domestic production continues to decline, Portugal and Morocco are gaining an increasing share of imports and retail promotions. In 2025, Portugal alone supplied 32% of the blackberries imported by Germany, compared with less than 3% ten years earlier.
The 2026 German blackberry season was marked by extreme temperatures, quality problems and limited availability. However, the short-term difficulties conceal a deeper transformation: Germany is becoming increasingly dependent on imports, while the composition of its supplier countries is changing rapidly.
This development is described in an analysis published by Fruchthandel and written by Farina Lurz of AMI Bonn. The data highlight the rise of Portugal and Morocco, Mexico’s increasingly significant role and Spain’s sharp decline.
Heat and adverse weather reduce German supply
Blackberries normally reach the peak of their season in July. In 2026, however, the heatwave recorded between late June and early July caused sunburn, smaller fruit and damage to plants.
In some growing areas, thunderstorms, heavy rainfall, strong winds and hail further aggravated the losses. As a result, Germany’s production potential was significantly reduced until mid-July.
The shortage of supply pushed prices to very high levels. Other European growing regions were also affected by the heat, initially limiting pressure from imports. German blackberries remained in strong demand, but suppliers were not always able to fulfil the programmes agreed with food retailers.
Fruit from the Mediterranean region was also available on the market, while prices for German blackberries remained considerably higher.
German acreage declines by 2% per year
The difficulties experienced during the 2026 season are part of a structural trend already characterised by the gradual contraction of domestic production.
According to data from Germany’s Federal Statistical Office, blackberries were grown on approximately 118 hectares in Germany in 2025, an area that remained virtually unchanged from the previous year. However, the 2024 figure was already 13% below the average for the previous five years.
Between 2016 and 2025, the German area devoted to blackberries decreased by an average of approximately 2% per year. The contraction in volumes was even more pronounced: since 2015, production has declined by an average of 4.4% per year.
In 2025, the harvest amounted to just 693 tonnes, almost 4% less than in 2024 and 14% below the five-year average. One of the reasons cited is the gradual withdrawal of some farms from blackberry production.
Imports reach 7,885 tonnes
The decline in domestic production has been accompanied by the growing importance of imported fruit. In 2025, Germany imported approximately 7,885 tonnes of blackberries.
Since 2016, import volumes have increased by an average of almost 6% per year. A comparison with the 693 tonnes harvested in Germany highlights the market’s dependence on international supplies, even without considering possible re-exports and differences between marketing calendars.
The main countries of origin are now:
- Portugal, the leading supplier with 2,502 tonnes and 32% of imports;
- Mexico, with a 22% share;
- Morocco, with 1,525 tonnes;
- Spain, whose share has fallen to 8%;
- Peru, among the other significant origins.
Portugal: average annual growth of 22.9%
The most striking rise has been recorded by Portugal. Until 2020, Portuguese shipments to Germany amounted to less than 1,000 tonnes per year. By 2025, however, they had reached 2,502 tonnes.
Between 2016 and 2025, German imports from Portugal increased by an average of 22.9% per year. The country’s market share rose from less than 3% in 2016 to 32% in 2025.
Morocco has also expanded rapidly. Until 2023, Moroccan supplies remained below 500 tonnes per year, but increased sharply over the following two years, reaching 1,525 tonnes in 2025.
Mexico, which was almost absent from the German market ten years earlier, now accounts for 22% of imports. Portugal and Mexico together therefore supply more than half of Germany’s imported blackberries.
Spain’s share falls from 42% to 8%
The shift in the supplier hierarchy is particularly evident in the case of Spain. In 2016, the country was by far Germany’s leading supplier, with a share of approximately 42%.
Since then, Spanish volumes have decreased by an average of around 10% per year. By 2025, Spain’s share had fallen to just 8%.
In less than a decade, the German blackberry market has therefore moved from a strong concentration on Spanish origin to a more diversified structure in which Portugal, Mexico and Morocco occupy central positions.
Promotions run almost throughout the year
Blackberries are available in German stores almost all year round, although retail promotional campaigns retain a strong seasonal component. Promotional activity normally increases from March onwards and peaks during the summer.
However, promotions have been starting progressively earlier. Until 2022, blackberries were not promoted on a significant scale until May. The growth of overseas supplies and the expansion of available origins have allowed retailers to extend the promotional calendar.
In 2026, based on data available up to week 34, there were only three weeks in which no blackberry promotions were recorded.
In 2025, a total of 173 promotional activities were recorded, 63% more than in the previous year. The long-term trend nevertheless remains broadly stable: between 2018 and 2025, the number of promotions increased by an average of just 0.6% per year.
Morocco accounts for 26% of promotions
German-grown blackberries continue to occupy a privileged position in retail campaigns. In 2025, they accounted for 31% of promotions, but their weight is declining: since 2018, the number of promotions explicitly identifying Germany as the country of origin has fallen by an average of 5.1% per year.
The opposite trend can be seen for imported fruit. Promotions for Portuguese blackberries increased by an average of 5% per year, while those featuring Moroccan origin grew by 33.3% per year.
In 2025, Moroccan blackberries accounted for 26% of all promotional campaigns, confirming Morocco’s increasing integration into German retail programmes.
A longer, more diversified market increasingly dependent on imports
The German case shows that the year-round availability of blackberries depends not only on the overall increase in imports, but also on the ability to combine origins with different production calendars.
Portugal and Morocco have successfully moved into the space created by the contraction of German production and Spain’s decline. At the same time, Mexico has acquired a significant role in long-distance supply.
Greater diversification gives retailers more alternatives and enables them to extend the promotional season. However, it also increases the market’s dependence on international supply chains, at a time when extreme weather events, production costs and consistent quality are becoming decisive factors in the competitiveness of different origins.
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