As the UK appetite for soft fruit demands year-round supply, importers are honing their relationships with growers and seeking out
dependable sources far and wide.
One such example is Redbridge Worldfresh. The company brings in blueberries from Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Chile and Mexico, blackberries from New Zealand and Mexico, raspberries from Australia, Mexico and Chile, strawberries from Mexico and Sri Lanka and new for this year, trial volumes of boysenberries from Argentina.
The complex programme at Redbridge Worldfresh involves a mix of different types of supply relationships and seamless crossovers between them. “Redbridge New Zealand is our own export company and has a heavy focus on blueberries and blackberries,” explains Redbridge Worldfresh’s Ian Waller. “The season is just starting there now and will run until the end of March. Up until now we have had blueberries from Australia from the end of September until October, then early Argentinean production from the beginning of October until December and Chile from mid-November which will run until March. Raspberries from Chile run from mid-November until February but there are increasing supplies from Spain in the winter and also it has lost ground due to a rise in prominence of Mexico as a source. As a result, there is more of a requirement for South America to focus on blueberries and blackberries.”
This year, frost in August has affected supply of blueberries in some of the early areas of Argentina, notably Tucumán, a relatively new supply source in north-western Argentina. “We are still confident of a good season as the effects have not been dramatic. We expected bigger availability earlier and it did keep prices high early on,” says Waller.
Andrew Thomas of Euroberryuk also reports heavy rain in Argentina which has presented some quality issues. “There were heavy rains in Mexico too in September which have affected availability and quality,” said Thomas. “But conditions in Chile are good.”
Euroberryuk is a joint-venture company between Hortifruit - the large Chilean grower and exporter with production also in Argentina and Mexico - and Wellpict European managed by Thomas. The company is sourcing blueberries from Argentina and Chile until January and April respectively, supplemented by Uruguayan volumes in November and December. Organic fruit from Chile is also now on stream and will run until March alongside organic raspberries and blackberries from the same country. It brings in Mexican and Chilean conventional raspberries and blackberries, which have already started arriving, and will run until April in the case of raspberries and June in the case of Mexican blackberry. Euroberryuk also supplies Chilean golden raspberries from January to April and Chilean redcurrants in December.
“The Argentinean blueberry crop is up by 50 per cent and the Chilean blueberry crop is up by 30 per cent,” reports Thomas, adding that there is little change to blackberry volumes from Mexico. “There are new plantings of late varieties of blueberry in Chile -Liberty, Draper, Aurora,” he says. “And a lot of Chilean blueberry is in transition to organic.”
Waller also reports new plantings that have helped to boost supplies from Argentina.
“From our point of view volumes and availability have increased dramatically across the board,” says Waller. “Our long-term strategy of vertical integration with our supply base in the southern hemisphere along with our strategic alliance with Sunnyridge Farm, which operates in Chile, Argentina and Mexico, has helped growers to have the confidence to invest in increased production and state-of-the-art infrastructure to give maximum efficiencies. And through our own Redeva breeding programme, they can become involved in planned variety development initiatives.”
KG Fruits and Alconera have just allied their marketing even more closely with Driscoll Strawberry Associates which will see the creation of a new European sales organisation in the new year. The US-based Driscoll has blueberry production in Argentina and Chile and its plantations provide the source for KG as well as raspberries and strawberries from North America.
“Chilean production of blueberries is expanding year on year,” says KG md Nick Marston. “We should see blueberry sales more than double.” There is also huge potential for the expansion of raspberries. “There is an opportunity for North American fruit in Europe to sit on the shoulders of the Spanish season in the autumn and early winter,” explains Marston. “There is expansion of the Spanish crop, particularly Glen Lyon, but we are offering better quality, premium North American varieties from Driscoll.”
Historically, some of the difficulty in supplying the UK that South and Central American sources have experienced is that the US is their major market. “We are fortunate that the growers we are in partnership with recognise that the UK is a stand-alone market and view it as such,” explains Waller. “Many other growers look at the UK and Europe as an add-on to their US business. But with the growth in the marketplace in the UK, and the potential for the rest of Europe, many growers in both Argentina and Chile are keen to focus on this area of business.”
Thomas maintains that every market is important to Hortifrut. “To have a balanced world-wide exposure to different markets means that the grower is spreading the risk of over dependence on any one area,” says Thomas. “Hortifrut has adapted its business to meet UK requirements by getting closer to the customer and taking a partnership with Wellpict in Euroberryuk.”
Importer BerryWorld works with VBM in Chile and its sister companies in Argentina and Mexico in a relationship that dates back about 10 years. “The main thing is that they understand how we work,” says Adrian Olins who works in procurement at BerryWorld. “VBM is quite different to other suppliers in the area in that 40 per cent of its total exports are to the UK and we at BerryWorld are its single biggest order. It has a European focus and we can build up promotions and work in a more strategic and planned way. Its production is 97 per cent EurepGAP and 60 per cent Tesco Nature’s Choice - that shows the level of commitment.”
This season the exchange rate for the dollarised economies is in favour. “We are enjoying a very beneficial US dollar exchange rate at the moment, along with a very good availability, but obviously the vagaries of weather and the money markets are always of concern,” says Waller.
At BerryWorld, Olins is forecasting increased shipments on blueberries - which unlike most other soft fruit can withstand a sea voyage - as volumes rise and a shift in packaging style. “We will be seeing more punnets this season as preferred by the UK market, rather than clamshells which are favoured by the US market.”
In terms of growth, Euroberryuk points to blueberries and blackberries. “Without a doubt berries are the star performers of the produce industry and fit well with current trends in consumption -being healthy, tasty and convenient,” says Thomas. “Blackberries and blueberries show the main potential for future growth.” Waller agrees. “They will continue to shine, but I am also confident that we will continue to see double-digit growth in strawberries and raspberries as well,” he says.
Olins sees potential for two key segments. “There is a good opportunity for superblues -large blueberries,” says Olins. “Up to now, it was only New Zealand that could supply these, but now we are seeing Chile produce bigger varieties. There is also growth in organic blueberries with improved varieties. Both these segments follow a different retail [path] and a premium is paid for them.”
ON THE TASTE AND TRIAL TRAIL
PARTICULARLY EXCITING this season is the second year of the winter berry campaign. “I believe that this winter’s campaign will continue to keep our healthy product range in front of consumers, and with the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association and Freshuelva both running campaigns alongside our initiatives, we will see excellent continual coverage,” says Ian Waller, who, with Redbridge Worldfresh is a founder member of the campaign.
BerryWorld, another founder member also has high hopes. “We hope it will increase awareness among consumers of our products and we will see an increase in shelf space to reflect the interest generated by the campaign,” says Adrian Olins. “By building new collaborations with Chile and Spain we hope the campaign will be able to maintain momentum.”
Among other activities, the campaign will run a Chilean blueberry promotion. Part of the plan is a consumer sampling activity to run in January and February. Created by Image Wizard PR, Taste and Trial will feature actors and actresses to encourage sampling and communicate benefits of eating the fruit at inter-city and commuter railways stations in London, Manchester and Birmingham. The team will also distribute z-cards - credit-card sized, fold-up leaflets - containing health and energy information as well as recipes and other tips. Each location will also benefit from a regional PR and marketing campaign to increase awareness and improve response, says Steve Malkin, md of Image Wizard. “It is anticipated that the campaign will communicate directly with 10 million consumers with over 20,000 direct hits with sampling,” says Malkin. “Media coverage will be generated on a local level and with a pre-event press trip to Chile to create national media exposure to 30m consumers.”
Taste and Trial will coincide with the wide-ranging PR drive to secure national media coverage as part of the Winter Berry Campaign. “We will have the chance to sample and communicate key benefits and link people to their local retailers for purchase,” says Lianne Jones, European field manager of the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association.
URUGUAY:
THE GREAT BLUE HOPE
URUGUAY IS emerging as a promising source for blueberries during the northern hemisphere autumn and winter. The sector in the small southern-cone nation is on a fast track to international recognition as its growers organise themselves into two national bodies and work to gain the necessary plant-health and good agricultural practices certifications.
“Commercial blueberry production started at the beginning of the 1990s in southern Uruguay, particularly the area near the capital,” explains Martin Porcelli of the Uruguayan national blueberry association, Anpau. “But it really only began to gain momentum in 1999-2000.”
This is backed up by Alejandro Goristidi, president of the Uruguayan blueberry chamber, Cudelar: “Commercial plantings have really been intensifying over the last two years. The main driver is exports to the northern hemisphere which has been identified as a real opportunity for Uruguay. We have also been watching the Chilean and Argentinean experience closely.”
Up to now, Uruguay’s main markets have been in the EU as plant-health protocols with the US have not been finalised, although this is hoped for next year. “Within Europe, the Netherlands, France, Germany and Spain have been our main export destinations,” says Goristidi.
But the UK is considered a very important market. “In my opinion, the future in the UK is very promising as it is an extremely demanding market where high-quality fruit is highly sought after,” says Porcelli. In fact, according to Goristidi, a large number of the country’s producers are in the process of becoming EurepGAP certified, which will undoubtedly open up more opportunities for them in the UK.
Both men agree that there are some 75-100 blueberry growers in Uruguay who between them grow on 500ha. This figure has spiralled since 2003 when just 8ha were under production. But there are even more fields given over to the crop that are still being planted and have yet to come into production.
The main varieties are southern highbush types such as O’Neal, Reveille, Blue Chip, Blue Cuinex, Blue Crisp, Millennia, Duke, Brigitta, Misty and Elliot.
Competitors for Uruguay could be deemed to be New Zealand, Australia, Argentina and Chile, although Goristidi is keen to point out that the sources are more complementary than competitive. “Between the three countries of Chile, Argentina and Uruguay we can ensure coverage and availability of product in the counter season during the entire period from the end of September until April,” he explains. “While Chile has its peak production in March and April, Uruguay and Argentina peak in November and December.”
Both organisations collaborate in a blueberry forum where they co-ordinate activity for the sector as whole and it is Porcelli’s expectation that they will be able to create a clear identity for their fruit on export markets. “We face two great challenges,” he says. “First is to establish a Uruguayan blueberry brand to differentiate our product from that of other sources, and second is to maintain the excellent quality of our export fruit.”
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