California Giant imports blueberries from South American countries to fill calendar
California Giant imports blueberries from South American countries to fill calendar
California Giant Berry Farms in Watsonville, CA, a leading producer and marketer of strawberries, blueberries and other berries, is in the blueberry business year-round, with production from spring and summer out of the Pacific Northwest and other parts of North America and from South America during fall and winter.
“We import blueberries from Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Peru,” Nader Musleh, executive director of California Giant’s blueberry division, said in an interview with The Produce News Sept. 8.
The company expects a significant increase in volume in its blueberry imports for 2014-15 over the prior year, according to Musleh. “We expect to grow around 25 percent in volume compared to last season,” he said.
Due to favorable weather to date, the crop in South America for all growing regions is running earlier than usual by as much as two weeks, Musleh said. “We started in Argentina about three weeks ago,” around the middle of August.
The Peruvian program is new to California Giant. “This is the first year,” he said. First shipments were expected around mid-September, and “it will go, I think, a month for us.” There is not, currently, a lot of volume in Peru’s blueberry industry, but it is growing, and “we expect to grow in this area” in future seasons, he said.
California Giant’s big South American blueberry volume will come out of Chile. Production will start in November, and “we start with a lot of volume,” Musleh said. Shipments will continue into March or April.
All of the berries, regardless of origin, are packed in the company’s “California Giant” label, he said. It is packed mainly in clamshells, with six-ounce clams being most popular during the first part of the season, shifting toward pints and 18-ounce clams “when the season starts with more volume.”
In addition to importing South American blueberries from South America into the United States, California Giant also exports South American blueberries to Asia and Europe, he said.
Chile is expecting a big crop of blueberries this season, industry-wide, according to Musleh. “We need to be prepared to move all the volume” throughout the season, he said.
California Giant works closely with growers to ensure the products meet the company’s high quality standards, Musleh said. “We supply our customers 52 weeks a year” with a good volume of high-quality berries from all producing areas.
