The current picture of the berry market in Verona reveals a transitional phase, with declining Italian volumes and shelves increasingly reliant on imports.
Italian blueberries are recording a rise in prices due to reduced product availability, while blackberries and raspberries are in short supply, requiring substantial imports, particularly from Spain and Poland. Italian redcurrants , on the other hand, remain consistently available, although their prices continue to be high compared with the rest of the category.
Despite these supply-side pressures, the quality of the products displayed in supermarkets remains very good, with fresh fruit and well-stocked shelves. The category is dominated mainly by well-established local brands, which continue to lead in most of the stores surveyed.
These are the main findings from today’s survey by the Berry Observatory, conducted on 15 July 2026, which analysed 16 stores representing 16 retail chains belonging to 14 large-scale retail groups in Verona.
The retail chains surveyed included: Aldi, Conad, Esselunga, Eurospar, Eurospin, Famila, Galassia, Iper La Grande I, Lidl, Martinelli, MD, Migross, Pam, Prix, Rossetto and Spazio Conad.
Product assortment
In the stores visited, the berry category featured between 2 and 7 products, with an average of 4.6 products per store. The assortment rates recorded in the stores were as follows: raspberries 81%; blueberries 100%; blackberries 88%; redcurrants 38%; two-fruit packs 6%; three-fruit packs 38%; and mixed packs 19%.
Range breadth
19% of the stores offering berries stocked two or three products, while the remaining 81% had four or more products available.
Quality
Quality refers to product condition, assessed according to the following criteria: absence of significant defects; sound products in less-than-ideal condition (not fresh, tired, shrivelled, dull or lacking bloom); presence of damaged fruit and juice leakage; presence of spoiled or mouldy fruit.
The groups offering the highest quality were identified as Aldi, Conad, Esselunga, Eurospin, Finiper, Gruppo PAM, Lidl, MD and Prix.
Retail prices
Berry prices varied as follows:
Raspberries (16 observations): average €21.68/kg (min. €11.92/kg – max. €31.60/kg)
Blueberries (48 observations): average €14.05/kg (min. €9.20/kg – max. €29.44/kg)
Blackberries (14 observations): average €15.64/kg (min. €11.92/kg – max. €19.92/kg)
Redcurrants (6 observations): average €21.04/kg (min. €15.60/kg – max. €35.12/kg)
Three-fruit packs (6 observations): average €22.72/kg (min. €19.93/kg – max. €25.20/kg)
A total of 90 price observations were recorded, with an overall average price of €16.70/kg (min. €9.20/kg – max. €35.12/kg).
Brands
The stores surveyed stocked berries from a total of 24 brands. Esselunga Bio was the brand with the highest average prices in the category.
Peviani recorded the lowest average blueberry prices, followed by Sermide.
Packaging
42% of blueberry products were sold in 125-gram packs.
