In Verona, blueberry prices are increasing as the season approaches its end. The same applies to raspberries, which are moving toward a production decline. Prices for blackberries and red currants, on the other hand, remain stable.
As for on-shelf availability, it is particularly good, including blueberries in larger pack sizes of up to 500 grams.
With regard to brands, the main retail chains continue to feature the usual well-known names, while smaller chains show greater turnover, resulting in less stable packers and brands. Overall, product quality is good, although some issues are beginning to appear in Peruvian blueberries, again a sign of the end of the season.
These are the main findings emerging from the surveys conducted by the Small Fruits Observatory yesterday, December 10, 2025, which analyzed 16 points of sale belonging to 16 retail banners across 14 organized large-scale retail groups in Verona.
The banners surveyed include: Aldi, Conad, Esselunga, Eurospar, Eurospin, Famila, Galassia, Iper La Grande I, Lidl, Martinelli, MD, Migross, Pam, Prix, Rossetto, Spazio Conad.
Assortment
In the points of sale visited, the small fruit category featured a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 7 SKUs, with an average of 4.1 SKUs per store. The assortment percentages in stores were as follows: raspberries 81%; blueberries 100%; blackberries 63%; red currants 31%; mixed packs 19%.
Range width
Thirty-eight percent of the stores carrying small fruits had two or three SKUs, while 62% offered four or more SKUs.
Quality
Quality refers to product soundness, measured in terms of: absence of significant defects; product that is sound but not in ideal condition (not fresh, tired, wilted, dull, lacking bloom); presence of damaged fruit and juice leakage; presence of spoiled fruit and mold.
The groups identified as having the best quality were Aldi, Eurospin, Finiper, Lidl, Martinelli, Migross, and Prix.
Retail prices
Prices for small fruits vary:
Raspberries (18 surveys): average €19.28/kg (min. €15.04/kg – max. €29.44/kg)
Blueberries (35 surveys): average €13.94/kg (min. €9.98/kg – max. €31.92/kg)
Blackberries (13 surveys): average €23.87/kg (min. €20.00/kg – max. €30.32/kg)
Red currants (5 surveys): average €15.89/kg (min. €15.84/kg – max. €15.92/kg)
Mixed packs (3 surveys): average €17.49/kg (min. €9.98/kg – max. €31.92/kg)
In total, 74 price observations were recorded, with an overall average price of €17.49 per kilogram.
Brands
The points of sale analyzed featured small fruits from a total of 21 brands. Almaverde Bio emerged as the brand with the highest average prices in the category.
The brand with the lowest average prices for blueberries was Dole Europe, followed by Dole Italy.
Packaging
Thirty-seven percent of blueberry SKUs were sold in 125-gram packs, accounting for roughly half of the offer.
