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), recaps the Tech Symposium that took place recently as part of Innovate 2021. Cronquist condenses nine hours of content into 30 minutes as he takes you through some of the highlights of this year’s symposium, with audio clips from some of the most popular s...

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 Kelly Ewen, partner at Rose Research . Adler and Cronquist bring Ewen on to discuss the overall intention and findings of the recent USHBC-funded global 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 Jennifer Sparks, USHBC/NABC vice president of marketing and communications, and Christie Wood , group account director at the Sterling-Rice Group. Cronquist brings Sparks and Wood on to discuss the recent Flavor Ex...

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), and Rod Cook , industry veteran and the chair of the Blueberry Technology and Innovation Committee, sit down with Praveen Penmetsa , founder and CEO of Monarch Tractor . While the blueberry industry isn’t known for being tract...

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 Daniel Bustamante, president of Proarándanos and chief commercial officer at Agricola Cerro Prieto S.A . (ACP); Luis Vegas , general manager at Proarándanos ; and Ryan Lockman , vice president of sales and procurement at North Bay Produce, 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 Joe Barsi , president of California Giant Berry Farms , to discuss the inception of the United Blueberry Task Force (UBTF). “Growers are the most important part of the business at [California Giant Berry Farms], and that comes from the leaders...

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 Mario Flores , director of product management for blueberries at Naturipe Farms, and Matt Lantz , vice president for global access at Bryant Christie, to...

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), and Rod Cook, industry veteran and the chair of the Blueberry Technology and Innovation Committee, are joined by Gary Thompson , chief operating officer at GUSS Automation , to discuss the possibility of labor-saving spraying a...

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist, president of the USHBC and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), sits down with Daniel Jackson of Family Tree Farms and Raffaele Benedetti of UNITEC to discuss innovations in blueberry sorting and sizing, and the impacts these innovations will have on the future of blueberries. “We had 150 people sorting these blueberri...

Agronometrics is a platform that provides market performance analysis for the fresh produce industry. The firm helps clients make informed, data-driven decisions and identify marketing opportunities by leveraging data and analytics. Founder and CEO Colin Fain began his company “to help people not feel helpless” when studying data trends, and to offer a great tool for easier analysis and decision-m...

After years of hard work and bilateral negotiation, consumers in China can finally enjoy fresh blueberries from the United States — the birthplace of modern blueberry cultivation. This summer, the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) teamed up with Pagoda, a leading fruit retailer in China, to hold a ceremony celebrating the arrival of fresh U.S. blueberries to mainland China, the first-ever pr...

True leadership means leaving things better than how you found them, and that’s certainly been the case with Chris Barnhill serving as chair of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC). Chris recently stepped down from this role, handing the reins over to Michigan blueberry grower Shelly Hartmann , who previously served as the organization’s vice chair. Both are longtime industry leaders who ha...

As the next generation of blueberry growers gets more involved in the industry, the ambition, future-focused thinking, hard work and innovation they apply to their operations is a source of inspiration. This episode features one young grower who was recently named one of The Packer’s “Women in Produce,” and offers hope for the future for all involved in the blueberry business.  In this episod...

July is National Blueberry Month, and the USHBC team has been working for months on ways to capitalize on this important time period for the industry, get blueberries in the spotlight and turn blueberry consumers into blueberry enthusiasts. A number of strategic and creative programs and events have already taken place to get consumers thinking about blueberries, including an attempt at a GUINNESS...

There is no better way to find out what’s really happening in the blueberry industry than to get out to some actual blueberry fields. In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Georgia blueberry grower and emerging industry leader Michael Thomas shares how his 2021 harvest has gone and why he’s optimistic about the future of blueberries.  Host Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Hig...

In this kick-off to Season Two of “The Business of Blueberries,” some familiar voices from past episodes come together to talk about highlights of the first season, share their thoughts about what’s coming in future episodes, and provide some behind-the-scenes insight about what it takes to bring this podcast together every week.  Host Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry...

The Pacific Northwest is enduring a record-breaking heatwave, with the full impact still being assessed. For the blueberry industry in particular, the heat wave came at a critical time, as growers in Oregon, Washington and British Columbia enter peak blueberry season. While the extent of this events’ damage will not be understood for a while, it is clear from this podcast’s local grower testimony...

To close the first season of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), reflects on some of the most insightful moments from season one of the podcast. In this episode, you’ll hear curated audio clips from:  Episode 9 with Tom Avinelis , founder and managing partner at Agricultu...

Last week, growers Doug Krahmer and Mark Hurst visited USHBC headquarters. It was the first in-person meeting with USHBC staff in over a year. On this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” we sit down with Doug and Mark for a conversation about what took place during these productive meetings, and the overall status of USBHC.  Host Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry...

For this technology themed episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” we’re diving into a topic that sounds so futuristic, it could be straight from a science fiction movie. That topic is vertical farming. While the method and technology has mainly been used in growing leafy greens, vertical farming companies are partnering with berry production companies like Hortifrut to explore the viability for...

For the 50th episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” there’s simply no better opportunity to bring back longtime industry leader Tom Bodtke for another conversation about what’s ahead for the blueberry industry. Host Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), is joined by Tom Bodtke , owner of Cornerstone Ag Enterpri...

After more than a year, the USHBC team was able to hit the road again, traveling to the Midwest for a series of meetings and events with members of the Michigan blueberry industry and grower community. On this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” we sit down with two leaders of the Michigan blueberry industry to revisit the trip, discuss some of the key takeaways, and explore the state’s uniq...

While 2020 was disruptive for the blueberry export industry, more markets are opening up across the globe, and the industry has only scratched the surface of global market potential. On this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” we sit down with an export expert to discuss what’s in store for 2021 blueberry export markets.  Hosts Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry C...

Ridley Bell, a familiar name to many in the blueberry industry, is a pioneering grower in Australia. Bell expanded commercial blueberry production in Australia several years ago, and his research helped develop blueberry genetics that are now used around the world. On this episode, we pick Bell’s brain about blueberries in Australia and the blueberry industry in general.  Host Kasey Cronquist...

With the 2021 domestic blueberry crop projected to be one of the largest on record, it’s time for growers and marketers across the country to get creative in moving blueberries. On today’s episode, we chat with a blueberry marketer and a produce data expert to assess the 2021 blueberry crop and ways for the industry to manage the large load.  Host Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbu...