The Business of Blueberries

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist, president of the USHBC and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), is joined by Bernadine Strik, professor emeritus of horticulture and a berry crop specialist and researcher at Oregon State University, for a discussion about Bernadine’s storied career and where the blueberry industry is heading next. “If we look worldwid...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist, president of the USHBC and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), shares some highlights from the flavor panel at Spring Forward, which featured Patricio Munoz, Ph. D., blueberry breeder at the University of Florida, and Gonzalo de Elizalde, senior director of product leadership at Driscoll’s.   Topics include: ●&nb...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist, president of the USHBC and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), is joined by Gary Wishnatzki, owner of Wish Farms in Plant City, Florida, for a discussion about the farm’s history and successes.  “Flavor, to me, is the most important thing, because getting the consumer to buy it once is one thing, getting them to...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist, president of the USHBC and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), is joined by Noel Sakuma, farm manager at Oregon Berry Packing, for a conversation about farm-level technology.  “Right now, we’re at a very unique time where a lot of new varieties are coming through the pipeline and if you are having the same variet...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist, president of the USHBC and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), is joined by Soren Bjorn, president of Driscoll’s of the America’s, for a wide-ranging conversation about the blueberry industry. This episode is part two of a two-part interview.  “Human beings are attracted to the best tasting fruits … so I think at...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist, president of the USHBC and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), is joined by Soren Bjorn, president of Driscoll’s of the Americas, for a wide-ranging conversation about the future of the blueberry industry. This episode is part one of a two-part interview.  “Blueberries, in general, have done really well during th...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist , president of the USHBC and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), recaps USHBC’s presentation at last week’s Oregon Blueberry Conference in Salem, Oregon.  Cronquist and USHBC and NABC Vice President of Global Business Development Alicia Adler presented together at the conference, giving an overview of what USHBC i...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist, president of the USHBC and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), is joined by Vonnie Estes, vice president of innovation for the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA), to discuss how Estes is helping the fresh produce industry harness technology. “I really try to bring technology to the produce industry and bri...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist, president of the USHBC and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), is joined by Ellie Symes , CEO of The Bee Corp, and Luis De La Garza , general manager of Royal Oaks Farms, to discuss technology that helps beekeepers maximize pollination revenue per hive, and aids growers in reducing costs and optimizing pollination qua...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist, president of the USHBC and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), and co-host Alicia Adler, USHBC and NABC vice president of global business development, are joined by Mark Crowell , CEO and co-founder of CuliNex, to discuss last fall’s Blueberry Bootcamp episode, and the future of blueberries as a “clean label” ingredie...

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 USDA Under Secretary Jenny Moffitt to discuss USDA priorities and their relevance to blueberries.  “I see the power and the value for producers in pooling our money together to promote our products and al...

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, USHBC/NABC vice president of engagement and education, to discuss her new role with USHBC and her background in the produce industry. “A lot of [industry engagement] has to do with having your...

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 Ashlee Sikorski , team development coach at Sway Leadership, to discuss leadership development in the blueberry industry.  “If you have 10 people at your company putting in an extra 10%, then you have a w...

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 Cort Brazelton , co-CEO of Fall Creek Farm & Nursery , to discuss the latest International Blueberry Organization (IBO) State of the Industry report and the future of global blueberry production. “If the I...

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 Ken Patterson , NABC chair and co-owner of Island Grove Ag Products, to offer some holiday greetings and preview the upcoming NABC/USHBC Spring Meetings in Tampa, Florida, in early March. “I wanted to be on th...

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 three blueberry growers in the Pacific Northwest to discuss the unprecedented and catastrophic flooding in areas of British Columbia and Washington state. Growers interviewed include: Steve Phillips of Berryhi...

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 Gunnar Avinelis , CEO of AgriCare , to discuss the firm’s creative approach to employee engagement and what it could mean for the larger agriculture industry.  “[By choosing an employee stock ownership pl...

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 Dwight Ferguson , president and CEO of the California Agricultural Leadership Foundation , to discuss his thoughts on leadership, developing the next generation of leaders and his role in merging the Produce M...

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 Andres Armstrong , executive director of the Chilean Blueberry Committee, to discuss expectations for the upcoming growing season in Chile and share about the dynamic changes taking place for blueberries on th...

Paul Lyrene, Ph. D., has dedicated his career to the development of early-ripening, high-quality blueberry cultivars that are productive in Florida’s humid, subtropical climate. Due to his efforts, the Florida blueberry industry has grown and flourished, and opened the door to blueberry production in other warm climates across the country and the world.  On this week’s podcast, host Kasey Cro...

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 Shelly Hartmann , owner of True Blue Farms and USHBC chair, to discuss the results of the recent referendum vote and where the USHBC goes from here. “We really need to encourage grower participation. This is a...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist, president of the USHBC and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), and co-host Alicia Adler, USHBC and NABC vice president of global business development, are joined by Jake Briere, corporate chef at Chobani and a member of the USHBC R&D Advisory Board. Adler and Cronquist bring Briere on to discuss where the food ind...

 In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist, president of the USHBC and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), recaps the Blueberry Innovation Bootcamp that took place recently in Seattle, Washington. Cronquist takes you through an audio version of the bootcamp that highlights the value and opportunities blueberries bring as an ingredient.  In this episo...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist, president of the USHBC and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), recaps the genetics panel that recently took place as a part of Innovate 2021. Cronquist takes you through an audio version of the panel that highlights technology and how it informs the consumer experience with blueberries. In this episode, you’ll hear fr...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist, president of the USHBC and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), recaps the Tech Tour that took place recently as part of Innovate 2021. Cronquist takes you on an audio version of the Tech Tour that highlights forward-thinking field experiments happening today in the blueberry industry. In this episode, you’ll hear from...