Blueberry growers across the Northern Hemisphere, including in California, reported a challenging start to the current campaign, with various market and growing hurdles creating headwinds early in the season. Despite those difficulties, the mood is shifting toward cautious optimism as conditions improve and the season progresses into its main window.
This follows a period of blueberry market volatility tied to a smaller-than-expected Chilean crop wrapping early, which triggered a spot market spike in Mexican volumes as Mexico stepped in to fill the gap. The transition to Northern Hemisphere production — including California, Oregon, and eventually Washington and the Southeast — will determine whether supply normalizes or remains choppy.
For buyers, the shift from import-reliant supply to domestic blueberry volume is a critical inflection point for pricing and promotional planning. Worth watching whether Pacific Northwest volumes come in on the stronger end of forecasts, as that would meaningfully ease the market heading into peak summer demand.