"Market penetration is at 50 percent, but we need to raise it to 70 percent and also increase the percentage of heavy users of blueberries. If we can do that, we will be on the right track."
It seems that it is still not accepted that the world fruit market has surrendered to theemergence of a new fruit that surprises consumers and is particularly healthy and appealing. From time to time we hear rumors predicting the end of this "fad."
What they fail to take into account is that although blueberry is the newest fruit on the international market, the blueberry industry has developed and expanded rapidly around the world, consolidating a cultivation map that covers five continents and a very large and steadily growing level of consumption penetration.
These negative forecasts are not new and focus on the significant increase in production volumes and shipments to international markets. We asked key industry leaders about blueberry Peru, the country that leads the international industry and the main player in the increase in world supply of blueberries.
"Do you think the blueberries market is about to collapse?" "Not at all! The product has a very good and healthy food base." Daniel Bustamante, president of Proarándanos, replies, adding:
"The market is adjusting to this volumegrowth, there are promotional activities that will support the growth. Also, the concentration in the U.S. market is shrinking, and there are many markets around the world that are booming. I think the industry is in a phase of change, where genetics is playing a very important role with new improved varieties.
Increased volume affects price, and this was expected. In the case of Peru, the industry will adapt to longer seasons, with quality as a basic premise. The new varieties will allow us to respond to different markets around the world based on the characteristics that each one appreciates most," he explains.
IMPROVING PENETRATION
We put the same question to Luis Miguel Vegas, general manager of Proarándanos:
"There isstill a lot of potential to increase consumption, there is a lot of potential for example in the United States, which is the largest market (by per capita consumption it is the largest). There is still a lot of room to improve market penetration. Currently it stands at 50 percent, but in 5 years the idea is to raise it to 70 percent and to increase the frequency of purchase.
The percentage of heavy users who frequently buy blueberries in the United States is also still low, so there is a lot of potential to increase consumption in the United States, for example, not to mention other places such as Europe and China, where per capita consumption is much lower. But for consumption to continue to grow, in addition to having fruit available for 52 weeks of the year-which it already is-it is essential that the fruit available is of the highest quality.
If we can get good quality fruit, this will help increase the frequency of purchase. If you bring in poor quality fruit, people will buy it once and then not buy it again. This is critical, so whether the market is saturated or not, there is still potential, but in order to capitalize on this potential, it is necessary to supply the market with good fruit, this is a determining factor for the future of blueberry in the markets.
I think this is the most concrete answer I can give you: market penetration is at 50 percent, but we need to raise it to 70 percent and also increase the percentage of heavy users of blueberries. If we can do that, we will be on the right track," he concluded.
ESTABLISHED SUPPLY CHAIN
The demand for blueberries focuses mainly on fresh fruit, but expands daily to frozen products, juices, jams or pastes for various applications. On the other hand, the nutraceutical qualities of the fruit have led to a diversification of demand for blueberries in the pharmacological industry, cosmetic market, and functional food market, among many other uses.
The sector of blueberry, in all its variants, has achieved a large business presence internationally, with significant organizational strength and good interrelationship among its various players globally.
FAR FROM COLLAPSE
This strength means that it enjoys a high sustainability index, which guarantees the blueberries sector animportant future projection on the planet, meaning that the blueberries market is far from collapsing.
In addition to these factors, the industry promotes the permanent renewal of its plant genetic resources and the development of new production management systems, which implies the pursuit of integral growth, with the goal of achieving development in terms of quantity and quality.
Source: Blueberries Consulting
Blueberries Consulting is part of the global network of Italian Berry
Photo: Photo by Jeremy Ricketts on Unsplash
