Migiva Group, having recently entered into a joint venture with United Exports, has now announced the acquisition and development of the first ever Ozblu production farm in Florida, US.
Ozblu said it was 'delighted' that its low-chill varieties of blueberries was expanding into the new territory, allowing the company to take part in servicing the biggest blueberry market in the world with locally grown product.
“As a world-class grower we are very excited to implement our expansion in the US,' said Matt Zinger, who oversees global investments at Migiva Group. 'We see this as a milestone for a new series of long term strategic investments for our group.'
America’s blueberry consumption rate boasts an average of 500,000 tonnes per year. Across the 450m citizens that the continent hosts, an average of 1.15kg of blueberries are consumed per person per year, resulting in one of the highest per capita consumption internationally.
The group said that tapping into such a blueberry-loving marketplace was an exciting prospect for both parties, specifically when considering the potential of Ozblu’s evergreen varieties.
“We are thrilled to have this opportunity to be the exclusive grower of the market leading Ozblu varieties in North America,' said Jonathan Geller, director at Migiva Group. 'We will be seizing this advantage over the next 18 months by deploying US$32m to build cutting edge vertically integrated farms and process plants.”
Migiva Groups´ first round of acquisitions included a 453 acre blueberry farm in Venus, Florida and an 82 acre blueberry farm and process plant in Sebring, Florida.
Roger Horak, global CEO of United Exports and co-founder of Ozblu, stated: “Being able to produce a consistent product that not only meets, but exceeds the blueberry consumer’s needs, is what we are about. Partnering with companies like Migiva Group is what makes this possible.”
