Promotable Volume of Organic Blueberries Expected with Shift to San Joaquin Valley

Organic blueberry production has shifted to California’s San Joaquin Valley, with buyers looking at promotable volumes for at least the next two months—and possibly quite a bit longer.

Carson Evers, a buyer for San Francisco wholesaler Earl’s Organic Produce, said the FOB price has already started dropping and expects it will settle into the $16-$18 range for trays of 6-oz clamshells, with larger volume containers offering even more promotional opportunities as the season progresses.

Carson Evers, Buyer, Earl's Organic Produce

“The coastal California season, which is where we have been sourcing all winter, is wrapping up, and we are starting to get into Central Valley production,” Evers said this week. “We will be sourcing from the valley until the end of June when we start pulling from Oregon.”

Evers predicted that there would be promotable volume from mid-April until August, if no weather issues occur. Quality of the San Joaquin Valley fruit looks outstanding, Evers said, and Oregon growers have also reported that their blueberry plants appear to be producing a great crop.

“The coastal California season, which is where we have been sourcing all winter, is wrapping up and we are starting to get into Central Valley production.” – Carson Evers

The Earl’s buyer said there had been concern about how the plants would react this year after enduring very high temperatures at the end of the 2021 summer season when the temperatures soared to 110 degrees and higher.

The FOB price on organic blueberries has been fairly high this past winter, Evers said, so the drop in price as volume increases is a welcome sight. He said organic blueberry FOB prices stayed in the mid-$30s to low $40s through most of the winter for California fruit, though organic berries from Chile and Peru could be found at a lower price.

Last weekend, Homegrown Organic Farms, headquartered in Porterville, CA, harvested its first California organic blueberries of the season. “We wrapped up our imports from Chile about three weeks ago, and we don’t have a Mexican deal, so it was great to reboot our supplies,” said Stephen Paul, the company’s blueberry commodity manager.

Stephen Paul, Blueberry Commodity Manager, Homegrown Organic Farms

Organic supplies of blueberries will increase throughout April, Paul said, with Homegrown’s California deal lasting until the first week of June, at which point the grower-shipper will transition to Oregon production. “In about three weeks, we should have promotable volume,” he said speaking of the third week of April.

“We wrapped up our imports from Chile about three weeks ago, and we don’t have a Mexican deal, so it was great to reboot our supplies.” – Stephen Paul

Paul predicted a strong market for California’s organic blues because Chile had a smaller crop this year, and there is some unmet demand going into the California season, though Mexico is producing steady supplies of blueberries for the organic market. At the start of the San Joaquin Valley organic blueberry season, Paul said pints will be the preferred container, but as the volume increases, retailers typically are looking to purchase the 18-ounce packs.

As he spoke, Paul said Homegrown Organic Farms’ farming entity, AgriCare, was in the midst of an audit to have its California blueberry program certified under the Equitable Food Initiative (EFI). EFI is basically the US equivalent of a fair trade program.

“Our Oregon blueberry program has already been certified, and we are expecting the California certification to come through some time during the season…maybe the final third,” he said. “When you are certified, it means you treat your farmworkers right. That's very important to us because without them we can’t do what we do. EFI certification is a powerful and strong statement.”

Also weighing in on the current state of affairs for organic blueberries was Markus Duran, director of blueberry supply for California Giant Berry Farms in Watsonville, CA. He noted that during the April to July period, the company’s organic blueberries are sourced from three regions: Oxnard, CA (trending downward now through mid-May); Central Valley, CA (peak will run mid-May through mid-June, with the season ending in early July); and Mexico (trending downward now through end of season in July).

“When you are [EFI] certified, it means you treat your farmworkers right. That’s very important to us because without them we can’t do what we do. EFI certification is a powerful and strong statement.” – Stephen Paul

“Our quality Pacific Northwest organic production out of Eastern Washington and Oregon is forecasted to start in late June, then peaking throughout the summer season,” Duran said.

Duran believes that overall organic volumes will be tight until the Pacific Northwest opens up. “Estimated production is down out of our Oxnard organics program due to multiple freezes in February,” he said, though he did note the Central Valley is looking strong, with a larger set forecasted due to maturing plants.

Markus Duran, Director of Blueberry Supply, California Giant Berry Farms

The berry category, Duran said, will continue to see growth moving forward.

“Our Quality Pacific Northwest organic production out of Eastern Washington and Oregon is forecasted to start in late June then peaking throughout the summer season.” – Markus Duran

“Overall, we’ve seen heightened demand for both conventional and organic blueberries,” he said. “We’ve felt consumer demand increase for all berry types because of the pandemic and shoppers seeking healthier and more nutritious foods. The USHBC [US Highbush Blueberry Council] has done a great job promoting blueberries to consumers over this period of time through their ‘Grab a Boost of Blue’ slogan.”