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 Hector Lujan , the new 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. Lujan shares w...

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 Inez Be , the new USHBC Director of Marketing. Be is a marketing, PR and communications expert who’s passionate about food and agriculture, and has years of experience working for a number of commodities group...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council ( NABC ), is joined by Steve Ware , vice president and general manager, value added, at Naturipe Farms. Naturipe is known for its sustainable practices and innovation in the berry industry. As a grower cooperative, Naturipe pri...

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 blueberry producer and innovative farmer Sam Gray , and Laina Gray , U.S. operations manager for FineField. Sam is the farm manager for his family’s business, PineBloom Farms, in Albany, Georgia. He created a p...

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 USHBC Compliance Coordinator Crystal Wills . In her role as compliance coordinator, Wills ensures the timely and fair collection of all assessments from imported and domestic blueberry production. USHBC assess...

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 the Executive Director of the IR-4 Project , Jerry Baron , Ph. D., and NABC Director of Government Affairs Alyssa Houtby . The IR-4 Project was established in 1963 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and lan...

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 Steve Magami , Agrovision’s co-founder and executive chair. Agrovision is a leading vertically integrated global healthy snacking superfruit platform with operations in Perú, Mexico, Morocco, Chile, Romania, 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 Kevin Hamilton , USHBC’s vice president of communications and marketing, and Haiying Zhang , USHBC’s director of global business development. Zhang previously represented growers and stakeholders in the U.S. pi...

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 April Stull, Ph. D. RDN , associate professor of nutrition sciences in the Department of Human Sciences and Design at Baylor University, and Leslie Wada, Ph. D. , senior director of nutrition and health resear...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” you’ll hear a live recording of U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council ( USHBC ) and North American Blueberry Council ( NABC ) President Kasey Cronquist’s keynote address to the blueberry industry, which was recorded live at the 2024 Blueberry Summit in Denver. He was joined by Brad Moorer , CEO of MBG Marketing , blueberry grower Michael Hill and USHBC C...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council ( NABC ), is joined by Dr. Frank Wong , director of stakeholder relations at Bayer , and Alyssa Houtby, NABC director of government affairs. Before joining Bayer, Wong was an associate specialist in cooperative extension and a...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council ( NABC ), is joined by Michael La Kier , vice president of brand development at the Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA). IGA is the largest affiliation of independent grocers in the U.S. and worldwide, with 1,700 U.S. stores and...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council ( NABC ), is joined by MBG Marketing CEO Brad Moorer . MBG Marketing is a producer-owned blueberry and blackberry cooperative that was formed in 1936 as the Michigan Blueberry Growers Association. They have since expanded their...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council ( NABC ), is joined by Michigan State University Associate Professor Tim Miles and NABC Director of Government Affairs Alyssa Houtby .. Miles is an associate professor in the Small Fruit and Hop Pathology Laboratory who has tea...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council ( NABC ), welcomes several fellows from Class Two of the Blueberry Industry Leadership Program to discuss their experiences with the program and their most recent trip to observe the Peruvian blueberry industry. You’ll hear fro...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC), welcomes back Cort Brazelton of Fall Creek Farms and Nursery. The conversation covers key developments in global blueberry production, especially in Peru, and discusses the role of new genetics in addressing growers’ challenges. Cronquist and Brazelton also share their...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council ( NABC ), is joined by Luis Vegas, general manager of Proarándanos, the Peruvian Blueberry Growers and Exporters Association. They discuss the significant impacts of the El Niño phenomenon on Peru's blueberry production, the in...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council ( NABC ), is joined by Alvaro Luque , president and CEO of Avocados From Mexico . Luque brings over 30 years of experience in the marketing field to his role with avocados. His strategic vision has not only propelled Avocados F...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council ( NABC ), is joined by Walmart Merchandising Director Melissa Byland . As one of the world’s largest blueberry buyers, Walmart relies on experts like Byland to ensure customers receive great quality and value with each purchase...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council ( NABC ), is joined by Chad Reenders, a fourth generation farmer who has been growing blueberries with his family since 2006. He recently started his own blueberry farm, and he farms 120 acres with his brother-in-law. Last year...

Hello, all you blueberry enthusiasts! We will be back next month in July, just in time for National Blueberry Month. We have a jam-packed schedule full of guests from all different backgrounds. In the meantime, here is the latest crop report for you to listen to. We will be back again very soon! Go, Blueberries!

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council ( NABC ), is joined by Todd Eagan , a former lead berry buyer with Costco’s fresh produce department and current consultant with Good Farms . You may remember him as a distinguished speaker at one of our virtual events in 2020...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council ( NABC ), is joined again by Steve Mantle of Innov8 Ag and the BerrySmartProject . We previously heard from Mantle in episodes 44 , 100 and 133 . He joins us in this episode to share the latest details on the BerrySmart project...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council ( NABC ), is joined by Bruce Popko , chief executive officer of Major League Pickleball. Popko discusses the growth of pickleball, the professional league that he leads, and why blueberries and pickleball belong on the same cou...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist , president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council ( USHBC ) and the North American Blueberry Council ( NABC ), is joined by Amanda Griffin , vice president of engagement and education at USHBC and NABC. Cronquist and Griffin reflect on The Blueberry Convention, share the feedback they received from participants and make a big...