The Business of Blueberries

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council ( NABC ), is joined by Minghua Tang , Ph. D . , and Leslie Wada , Ph. D . Tang is an associate professor and the Lillian Fountain Smith Endowed Chair in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Colorado State University...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Inez Be , director of marketing at the U.S. Highbush Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council ( NABC ), is joined by VentureFuel Founder and CEO Fred Schonenberg . VentureFuel is an innovation advisory firm that helps major brands, such as Netflix and General Mills, unlock growth through startup collaborations. The USHBC has partn...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” we welcome guest host Steve Mantle , founder and CEO of Innov8.ag and USHBC’s partner in the BerrySmart Field program, who is joined by   Tim Hyde , CEO and co-founder of SWAN Systems . They’re coming to you live from the fields at this year's Washington State Berrysmart Field Demo Day in Mount Vernon, Washington. Together, they discuss how tech in...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council, is joined by Harry Kaiser, Ph. D. , a professor at Cornell University. Kaiser directs the Cornell Commodity Promotion Research Program and conducts economic evaluations for national agricultural marketing programs, including the USHBC. In th...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC) , is joined by Amanda Griffin , vice president of engagement and education for USHBC/NABC. Cronquist and Griffin discuss how blueberry industry events have evolved throughout the years, and why gatherings like The Blueberry Convention,...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council, is joined by USHBC Chair Bryan Sakuma. As a fourth-generation grower, Sakuma brings deep industry experience to his role as a leader of strategic initiatives for the blueberry industry. His passion for blueberries and vision for collaboratio...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council, is joined by Dennis Tootelian , Ph. D., an emeritus professor of marketing in the College of Business at California State University, Sacramento. Tootelian is also a nationally recognized expert in economic impact research for agriculture, w...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council ( NABC ), is joined by Steve Mantle , founder and CEO of Innov8.ag . Mantle and his team have been working closely with USHBC to transform high-tech field data into actionable insights. With test fields already established, Mantle is here to...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council ( NABC ), is joined by Ken Gilliam , vice president of predictive analysis at The Directions Group , and Cassidy Marn , account executive at The Directions Group. Together, Gilliam and Marn turn insights into real-world game plans, get teams...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council ( NABC ), is joined by Lucas Thelosen , founder and CEO of Gravity, and Joe Vargas , director of business intelligence for USHBC and NABC. Thelosen has been at the forefront of leveraging technology to transform industries, and today he and V...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council ( NABC ), is joined by Mario Steta , chair of the International Blueberry Organization (IBO) and vice president of sustainability, compliance and public affairs for Driscoll’s Europe, Middle East and Africa. With deep experience in global ber...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council ( NABC ), is joined by Paul Sandefur, Ph. D. , vice president of research and development at Fall Creek Farm and Nursery. Sandefur received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in  horticulture from the University of Arkansas, and his doc...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC) , is once again joined by Leslie Wada , Ph. D., and Alyssa Houtby . Dr. Wada is our very own senior director of nutrition and health research at the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council. She’s responsible for furthering the reputation and a...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC) , is joined by Haiying Zhang , USHBC director of global business development. Zhang has a strong background in the agriculture industry and was previously the senior director of global marketing for American Pistachio Growers. In her r...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council, is joined by Brian Kuehl , executive director of the Agriculture Trade Education Council . The Agriculture Trade Education Council is the premier resource for education on the value of agricultural trade policies, practices and str...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council ( NABC ), is joined by JC Clinard , a third-generation farmer and CEO of berries at Frutura . Clinard is also very active in the councils, serving as the USHBC Finance Committee chair, USHBC Treasurer and a member of the Executive C...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council ( NABC ), is joined by Wade Jackson of Family Tree Farms . Jackson is a third-generation family farm owner and a board member at Family Tree Farms. He has also developed expertise in genetics and breeding blueberry varieties. He sha...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Amanda Griffin , vice president of engagement and education for the USHBC , celebrates International Women’s Day by featuring three women leaders from the blueberry industry. Ellie Norris is the owner/manager of Norris Blueberry Farms; Anna Jesse is the vice president of Forest Hills Farm; and Shelly Hartmann is the owner of True Blue Farms and the...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council ( NABC ), is joined by Greg Willems , the President of G & M Farms Inc. and President of the California Blueberry Nursery. Willems established his production as a self-starting, vertically integrated farming operation over twent...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council ( NABC ), is joined by George Lobisser , CEO & Co-Founder of RipeLocker. RipeLocker is a science-based, data-driven company that has been testing the efficacy of its containers to extend the post-harvest life of perishables. “ I...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council ( NABC ), is joined by Bryan Sakuma and Teddy Koukoulis, the incoming chairs of the USHBC and NABC. Together, they discuss what interested them in these new roles, the value the two organizations bring to each other and what their l...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council ( NABC ), is joined by Pat Goin. Goin and her husband, Kevin, own Goin’s Blueberry Lane in Indiana. Before her tenure as chair of the NABC Board of Directors, Goin served as board vice chair, and chair of the NABC’s Government Affai...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council ( NABC ), is joined by Shelly Hartmann , who is making her fifth appearance on the podcast. Hartmann served as chair of the USHBC from 2021 to 2024. This year, she leaves the position in the very capable hands of Bryan Sakuma. Hartm...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council ( NABC ), is joined by Paul Pryce , the new executive director of the British Columbia Blueberry Council. Pryce previously served for nearly three years at the British Columbia Agriculture Council, and is passionate about food secur...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council ( NABC ), is joined by Hector Lujan ,CEO at berry giant Hortifrut and the leader of its global operations. Lujan’s career spans over 20 years in the berry industry, with previous roles at Reiter and BerryMex. Last episode, Lujan sha...