Nothing like fresh blueberries! Now, local fresh berries in April!!!
As a native Californian, “Blueberry Guy” did not have a lot of fresh blueberries to choose from while growing up. It is so wonderful to go to the market and see kids dragging their moms to the blueberry displays at the market.
Check out this ad from my local Mollie Stone market. While fresh blueberries have long been available in April from Florida, it is amazing to see the developments on the west coast!
Nothing like seeing a friendly face when abroad. Walking down the produce aisles in a Japanese store, saw this display of jarred blueberries from Oregon Berry Packing. Note the promotional material with Roy Malensky and his two sons Jeff and Brian! Japanese consumers look for a connection to their food supply, and local produce quite often contains information and photos of the farmers and the land they farm. While standing with my iPad, I noticed two consumers pass, notice the sign and scoop up jars of the product. Although this display was in the jam and jelly section — the jarred product normally is positioned in the produce section near the fresh berries.
Ten years ago, Taiwan was unfamiliar with blueberries. Now it is one of the leading markets for US fresh blueberries. Check out the Sheipa Leisure Farm in Wufang Township, Hsinchu County – Taiwan.
According to the website, they introduced highbush blueberries to the farm in 1988 and offer visitors a u-pick blueberry experience in July and August. The area is in the beautiful mountains near Sheipa National Park.
Congratulations to the British ,Columbia Blueberry Council which is celebrating 25 years on April 9, 2015! A Gala Indian dinner is planned in Surrey and Blueberry Guy will certainly be there!
For years we have been marveling at the Asian attraction to blueberries as part of a beauty regime. Ask consumers why they purchase: skin, hair, nails are the normal answer. For centuries Chinese and Asian medicine research has discussed the role of blueberries as part of beauty and skin care.
Here is our new booth which had a debut in a recent exhibition in Japan.
One of my daily jobs is to post new research citations for blueberries. I must admit, as the “Blueberry Guy,” I know a lot about blueberries and usage thereof. But, with health research — I am certainly learning each day. I receive the citations, then carefully post into our online database. Luckily, they are categorized. Some of this stuff is amazingly complex. But, exciting to be onthe front line of blueberry discoveries! You can go to the online database and search in a number of ways. This is a research database modeled after what research librarians use. Go ahead and make a search, but make sure to clear before next search. Time to add ten more citations!
http://blueberrytech.org/blueberry-database/
Blueberries have been considered beneficial for centuries in Native American, First Nations and other cultures around the world — anywhere they are grown.
Check out the following USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) searchable database titled: “Dr. Duke’s Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Database.” Dr. Duke was a pioneer researcher at North Carolina State University and was taking “Nutraceuticals” long before there was a term for it. Note this database includes all plant parts including leaves, blossoms, roots as well as fruit.
Dr. Duke’s Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Database
We are finding blueberries in some interesting places!
Check out these products fr: om Vietnam which contain real blueberries, and some beautiful blueberry identification on the package! Some ask why the interest. Well, if you look at the packaging it is apparent that blueberries are associated with beauty. Watch this market!
Check out the new USHBC booth for Asian markets! That gentleman on the right is our USHBC Chairman Parm Bains!
Check out the very latest online version of the Berry Latest e-newsletter. Elizabeth White, lady farmer from New Jersey and Frederick Coville a USDA researcher began collaboration on cultivation of wild forest blueberries from the Pinelands of the Garden State. The work paid off and 2016 was the year of the first commercial shipments!
Blueberries bring the world together! Check out the wonderful group of visitors from Benin in West Africa who are promoting the super-grain Fonio. This tiny grain from the millet family is valued throughout the region. It contains some very important amino acids for the body and the main excitement comes from the fact that it helps the body secrete insulin – which has great benefit for diabetics and prevention. We discussed the combination of the two superfoods — blueberries and fonio!
Check out this new blueberry ice cream launched in India! Very Berry is a pioneer in bringing new blueberry products to market!
The AAHAR exposition in Delhi is the largest food trade show in India. This year, blueberries were exhibited by companies who have developed new products in the past year.
Check out the booth for Delight Nuts. Raj Kapoor (USHBC-India) on left and friendly dried blueberry seller on right!
Fresh, processed and further processed blueberry shipments are booming around the world. The USHBC has revved up promotions in selected markets around the world, and we are seeing blueberry markets across the globe join the blueberry craze.
Ten years ago, USHBC had a strategic plan goal to ship 17 million lbs of US highbush blueberries. This was followed by fresh and processed promotions in Japan., Taiwan, and South Korea. In just ten years, shipments to non-Canadian export markets have risen more than 270 percent. It is not a coincidence that the markets with the largest growth are USHBC targets where we have conducted building-block activities such as trade shows, seminars, advertising PR and retail fresh and food industry initiatives.
Some very good indicators:
