The Spanish agri-food market is showing interesting dynamics, especially in the fresh produce segment. Although consumers are facing a general increase in prices, some product categories, such as berries (known in Spain as frutos rojos), are experiencing surprising growth.
The context: fruit and vegetable consumption in Spain
To understand the success of berries, it is useful to look at the overall picture of fruit and vegetable consumption. In Spain, fresh fruit and vegetables, together with milk and dairy products, form the basis of the shopping basket, accounting for 39.4% of the total volume of food and beverages purchased in 2024.
In 2024, the volume of fresh fruit purchased remained substantially stable compared to the previous year (+0.4%), but recorded a 4.4% increase in value due to a 4.0% rise in average prices, reaching €2.14/kg. Per capita consumption of fresh fruit stands at 79.38 kg per year, marking a slight decrease of 0.9%. Spaniards allocate 9.49% of their food budget to fruit, spending around €169.51 per person. As for vegetables (fresh vegetables), volume increased by 0.6%, with an average per capita consumption of 49.55 kg per year.
The berry boom
In a context where overall fruit consumption is slightly declining, the berry category stands out for a strong positive trend.
Berries represent a high-value niche: they account for only 3.2% of the total volume of fresh fruit purchased, but generate as much as 7.2% of the value of the fruit market. During 2024, this category recorded excellent growth: purchase volumes increased by 8.1%, while spending jumped by 14.3% compared to 2023.
Per capita berry consumption reached 2.52 kg per person per year, marking a significant increase of 6.7% compared to the 2.36 kg consumed in 2023.
Strawberries as the undisputed leaders
Analyzing the data, it clearly emerges that strawberries almost entirely dominate the berry category in Spain.
The year 2024 closed with very positive results for this fruit: the volume of strawberry purchases increased by 7.4%, with spending rising by 13.1%. It is important to highlight that this growth in demand is “genuine” and occurred despite an increase in the average price of 5.3%, which brought the average price of strawberries to €4.24/kg.
At an individual level:
- Per capita strawberry consumption is 2.33 kg per person per year, up 6.0% compared to 2023. Comparing this figure with total berry consumption (2.52 kg), it can be deduced that strawberries account for over 92% of total berry consumption in Spain.
- The average annual spending per person on strawberries was €9.88, representing 0.55% of the average household food budget.
- Strawberries account for 0.41% of the total volume of food purchased by Spanish households.
And the other berries? (Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)
As for blueberries (arándanos) and other specific berries, the data provided by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food do not present disaggregated figures. The statistics from the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture group these smaller varieties under the general category “frutos rojos”. However, knowing that total berry consumption is 2.52 kg per capita and that strawberries account for 2.33 kg, we can deduce that all other berries combined (including blueberries) amount to around 0.19 kg per year per person, representing a still very small niche, albeit within a rapidly expanding category.
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