Berry People, a year-round, full-line supplier of organic and conventional branded berries and avocados, is transitioning its blueberry supply to the Pacific Northwest as the Mexican and California seasons wind down.
The company will be offering branded blueberries from Washington State starting in late June and from British Columbia in Canada starting around July 10.
Its North American blueberry volumes will grow significantly this year and will be available through the arrival of its imported fruit towards mid-September.
“Our overall blueberry supply has grown by over six-fold year-to-date, largely based on the groundwork laid in 2017-18,” says Jerald Downs, President of Berry People.
“Berry People has a substantial untapped blueberry supply base from shareholders and alliance partners, but we are being careful to expand based on our customer programs.”
Berry People’s North American blueberry volumes specifically look to be up around three-fold over last year.
“This means we have plenty of room to grow domestically as we manage our year-round distribution footprint and counter-seasonal supply balance,” Downs adds.
Late-season organics in a critical window
Berry People is excited about its new late-season Oregon and Peruvian blueberry deals as well. These supplies will give the company its desired continuity of supply for the critical window from mid-September until the end of October.
Berry People shareholders with late season Oregon blueberry grower
“The majority of this new production will be organic, with peak volumes in October,” says Downs. “Additionally, we expect significant growth from our existing northern Chilean supplier base, after a successful season last year. This fruit is also primarily organic.”
In addition, Berry People will begin harvest on its shareholders’ new organic blueberry planting in Jalisco, Mexico, which has been developed especially for the fall harvest window.
“As we reach critical mass in the blueberry category, we are dedicating more resources to its management to improve our overall genetic position, pack-style and packaging offering, market prediction and pricing, as well as program placement,” Downs comments.
Berry People’s growth based on trustworthy relationships
Berry People is experiencing steady and strong development on multiple fronts, as it becomes a first-class supplier of organic berries to the U.S. market.
“Some developments include the refining of processes, systems and personnel in anticipation of future growth, the recent closing on a substantial cash flow line of credit, and an eminent office move to accommodate the personnel increase towards the fourth quarter,” said Downs.
He added that these developments are initiated and sustained on the basis of mutual trust in the relationships with its customer and grower partners.
“Being trustworthy does not always mean being popular,” said Downs. “By this I mean walking the fine line of managing grower and customer expectations while also holding ourselves to the highest standard of performance possible, with hopes to continually exceed expectations over time.
“Approaching our relationships in this way, including with our shareholders’ farms, has enabled us to grow our footprint substantially from 2018 to 2019, while preserving the company vision, and moving forward “at the speed of trust,” keeping operations and sales results under control.
“It is important to take solid steps forward and to be satisfied with quality work and quality relationships upon which to build.”
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About Berry People: Berry People is a year-round, full-line shipper of organic and conventional strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and avocados, and owner of the Berry People® and Avo People brands®. Headquartered in Hollister, California, the company’s ownership and key alliance partners hold important production assets in California, Mexico, Chile and Peru. All product is graded and allocated by pallet, and all growers are fully compliant with USDA and FDA regulations on food safety and organic practices. Berry People operates with a strong company ethos along its entire supply chain that emphasizes complementarity, stewardship and empathy.
For more information, please visit www.berrypeople.com
13/06/2019
