The blueberry season in California is heading towards its peak supply

During the spring season, Mexico provided a solid supply base of blueberries Growing conditions were favorable and fruit quality remained consistent, allowing commercial programs to continue while domestic production in the United States began to gain momentum.

Meanwhile, some areas of the southeastern United States experienced weather-related volume reductions, making Mexican supply even more crucial to balancing the market before the local campaign entered a more active phase.

“Now California is naturally taking over as the main domestic source, along with Georgia,” said Luciano Fiszman, vice president of sales and supply at Gourmet Trading Company. He explained that volumes are steadily increasing week after week.

The harvest in the Golden State began at the beginning of the month and the peak supply is expected to be concentrated during the second half of May.

“The availability of promotional volumes should be maintained until Father’s Day, with a stronger shipping window extending for about a month,” Fiszman added.

After that period, the season will continue through July, although supply will depend on the variety and the growing region. Even so, California appears well-positioned to serve as a bridge to the Pacific Northwest season.

Mixed conditions before the start

In the lead-up to the season, growing conditions in California were variable. “We had periods of rain, wind events, and, more recently, heat waves. Together, these conditions created operational and agronomic challenges at different stages of the crop,” explained Michelle Carpenter, production manager. This was compounded by a tighter labor supply than in previous seasons, which also added pressure during harvest.

A solid season is projected.

Despite these challenges, the outlook for the season remains optimistic, both in terms of volume and quality. California’s entry into the market comes amid strong demand and a somewhat tighter early domestic supply. Even so, Californian fruit is arriving with attractive attributes, especially in firmness, shelf life, and flavor.

From a volume perspective, Gourmet Trading expects a strong season, with promotional opportunities and healthy demand that should absorb the available supply well.

The demand for blueberries It remains active. Consumption continues to grow year after year, and the category has established itself as a stable presence in retail. Consumers seek consistency, flavor, freshness, and year-round availability, and, according to the company, the industry has made significant progress on all these fronts over the past decade.

“At Gourmet Trading, we remain focused on building reliable, long-term supply programs, while continuing to invest in quality, genetics, and operational consistency across all our production regions,” said Scott Hulsey, the company’s CEO.

Gourmet Trading markets blueberries conventional and organic products through major retail, wholesale and foodservice channels across North America.

“We support customers across the country with robust programs on both the West Coast and the East Coast, depending on the time of year, logistics, and promotional opportunities,” commented Adriana Fortune, sales manager.

A market that is moving towards greater stability

Due to lower domestic availability at the start of the season, the campaign began with relatively firm prices and strong consumer demand. As California volumes continue to grow and approach Memorial Day weekend, retail promotions are likely to increase as well.

“That should lead the market toward a more promotional and, at the same time, more balanced stage,” Fortune said.

Even so, good quality fruit continues to generate strong interest, and prices will continue to depend largely on packaging format, size, quality, and time of arrival.

“In any case, we expect good movement for the rest of the season and, generally speaking, we project a healthier and more orderly market than in some previous campaigns,” Hulsey concluded.

The shift between Mexico, California, and other origins highlights the importance of accurately interpreting market signals. In a category where prices fluctuate based on available volume, arrival time, format, size, and quality, timely information is becoming increasingly crucial for producers, exporters, and distributors.

Source: Blueberriesconsulting.com