The Business of Blueberries

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 Tom Barnes, interim director of data and business intelligence at the USHBC and NABC, and president and CEO of Category Partners. Barnes is a veteran of the perishables industry with a deep passion for how data drives retail success. He has spent over two decades helping major retailers and suppliers navigate the relationship between business insights and market performance. Under his leadership, Category Partners has become a go-to resource for primary consumer research and technology solutions in the fresh food space. He joins the podcast to share his unique perspective and insight into the impact of market data on the blueberry industry.“ Price is always a factor and always will be a factor. You can't just sell it for whatever you want, but it tells you that there is higher demand for blueberries every year, and the consumption is moving up, which isn't the case for every commodity.” — Tom BarnesTopics covered include:An introduction to Barnes and his work for USHBC/NABC and Category Partners.How the data behind blueberry sales can inform future decisions and opportunities.The excitement Barnes feels regarding the direction and growth of the blueberry industry based on the data.Crop ReportThe Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. You’ll hear from Brittany Lee in Florida, Eliza Spreitzer in Michigan, Alan Schreiber in Washington, Michelle Borges in California, TJ Hafner in Oregon, Derrin Wheeler in Georgia, Kristin Brinkley in North Carolina, Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on April 2, 2026.

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’s joined by Charlie Andersen, CEO and founder of Burro, and Noe Toribio, customer success manager at Burro. Together, they discuss on-farm efficiency potential using autonomous robotics. They share the impact this technology can have on labor costs for producers and how that may affect the agriculture industry.“There’s a lot of areas in agriculture and beyond where there are no robots today and people are moving around doing work that requires movement, plus perception, plus manipulation … and inspecting things on sites and doing data capture. They're all things where there's a real need for robots, but the way to get them going isn't to try to do it all at once. It's to do it in a stepped or phased approach, which is kind of the genesis of Burro.” – Charlie AndersenTopics covered include: An introduction to Anderson and Toribio, and their work. The ideas that led to the creation of Burro, and the impact autonomous tractors can have for producers.An exploration of the evolution of autonomous tractors and what the future may hold.Crop ReportThe Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Brittany Lee in Florida, Derrin Wheeler in Georgia, Eliza Spreitzer in Michigan, T.J. Hafner in Oregon, Luis Vegas in Peru and Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on February 26, 2026.

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 Lisa Wasko DeVetter, Ph.D., a professor of small fruit horticulture in the Department of Horticulture within the College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences. Her work focuses on applied research and extension related to small fruit production systems, with an emphasis on improving fruit quality, production efficiency and sustainability for crops such as blueberries. DeVetter reflects on the recent flooding of the Northwest, its impact on blueberry producers and the evidence-based recommendations she can make to producers if another flooding event is experienced. “Fortunately, there was enough time that elapsed between the 2021 flooding and this flood event so some of those fields that were impacted, they were either replanted because the damage was so severe or the planting was young and the grower took advantage of the opportunity just to start over with variety replacement or the field was managed and rejuvenated in such a way that it recovered. So, by the time it had this second flooding event, you know, we're not expecting kind of a double-whammy effect, if you will, from subsequent floodings from relatively close periods of time together.” – Lisa Wasko DeVetter, Ph.D. Topics covered include: An introduction to Devetter and her work. An exploration of the factors that influenced recommendations for producers that were impacted by these two major flooding events.Crop ReportThe Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Brittany Lee in Florida, Ross Phillips in Georgia, Luis Vegas in Peru, Andres Armstrong in Chile, Mario Ramirez in Mexico, T.J. Hafner in Oregon, Alan Schreiber in Washington and Sunny Brar in British Columbia. This was recorded on February 12, 2026.

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 Tim Miles, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences at Michigan State University, where he leads the Small Fruit and Hop Pathology Program. Miles’ research focuses on the diagnosis, epidemiology and management of diseases affecting small fruit crops, with particular emphasis on blueberries and hops. He works closely with growers and industry partners to develop practical, science-based solutions that improve crop health, sustainability and productivity. “ That's probably the most impactful or rewarding thing at the end of the day, is actually diagnosing what someone has in their field and then delivering sound, science-based management recommendations to help manage that disease.” – Tim Miles, Ph.D. Topics covered include: An introduction to Miles and his work. The process and threat posed by fungicide resistance, as well as practices and options producers can use to avoid its persistence.The value of identifying specific plant pathology to target best practices and treatments.Crop ReportThe Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Brittany Lee in Florida, Derrin Wheeler in Georgia, Luis Vegas in Peru, TJ Hafner in Oregon, Alan Schreiber in Washington, Pat Goin in Indiana and Sunny Brar in British Columbia. This was recorded on Feb. 5, 2026.

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 for the fourth time by Patricio Muñoz, Ph.D., associate professor of blueberry breeding and genomics and the Endowed Chair of Horticulture Crop Breeding at the University of Florida. When he’s not shaping the future of blueberry breeding, Muñoz also serves on the USHBC Council as the alternate public member. He’s an experienced plant breeder with involvement in multiple crops and cultivar releases whose research focuses on creating cultivar development at a faster and more efficient pace. Muñoz also has a deep understanding of the berry global market.“The products that we are developing now … are the ones that are going to come in 5 to 10 years from now, and in that moment we need to do even more differentiation … like how do you stack them with other traits? I mean, can you make them crunchy? Yes, we can. And you'll see them soon, hopefully. Can you make them larger? Yes, we can. Can you make them healthier? Yes. Can you make different colors? Yes.” – Patricio Muñoz, Ph.D. Topics covered include: An introduction to Muñoz and his work. An exploration of the strategies and traits Muñoz and his breeding team focus on. Muñoz’s perspective on global demand and emerging blueberry markets. Crop ReportThe Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Mario Ramirez in Mexico and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on January 22, 2026.

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), reflects on 2025 and shares some of the most impactful insights that emerged from the last season of the podcast. Common themes of interest over the last year include quality, genetics and global supply and demand.“ What's not to be excited about the blueberry industry?... I mean everything that drives consumption in an agricultural commodity, blueberries has it. Convenience, health, snackability, flavor, fun, photogenic. It's an awesome category, commodity fruit to be a part of.” – Wade Jackson“I think what's great about this industry is we have really passionate people that love what they do. Obviously, you know, you've brought a good young team in that really is trying to push this thing and convince all growers, it's the right direction to take. But I'm just most excited about the momentum we have.” – Greg WillemsEpisodes covered: Episode 199: Wade Jackson on Berry Genetics at Family Tree FarmsEpisode 200: Farming, Finance and The Future With JC Clinard of FruturaEpisode 218: Berry Business Leadership: A Conversation With Garland Reiter Jr.Episode 204: Developments in Blueberry Breeding With Paul Sandefur, Ph.D.Episode 191: Blueberry Industry Growth Drivers: Part 2 With Hector LujanEpisode 205: Innovation, Impact and International Growth: The IBO’s Mission With Mario StetaEpisode 206: From Data to Decisions: AI’s Role in Blueberry SuccessEpisode 197: The Impact of Genetics on Blueberry Quality With Greg WillemsCrop ReportThe Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. You’ll hear from Mario Ramirez in Mexico and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on January 15, 2026.

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 Jaclyn Bennett, general manager at Parabug, a company that’s changing the game when it comes to pest management. We caught up with Bennett at The Blueberry Convention back in October. Founded in 2016, Parabug uses drone technology to enhance the efficiency and affordability of biological pest control for growers. She shares about how drone technology is being adopted in blueberry fields, the benefits growers are seeing and what’s next for innovation in this space. “ What Parabug does is we apply beneficial insects with drones. So we have a proprietary mechanism that mounts to essentially an off-the-shelf ag drone. That mechanism is incredibly gentle for beneficial insects and allows for another avenue of integrated pest management to be economically viable to growers.”  – Jaclyn Bennett Topics covered include: An introduction to Bennett and her work at Parabug.An exploration of the innovative technology created by Parabug and the benefits it can provide in pest management for producers.A glimpse into Parabug’s next innovation. Crop ReportThe Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. You’ll hear from Mario Ramirez in Mexico and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on December 18, 2025. 

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 Luis Vegas, general manager of Proarándanos, and Miguel Bentin, founder of Valle y Pampa. Vegas leads his organization’s efforts to represent and promote Peru’s blueberry industry worldwide, providing critical market data, industry insights and strategic direction for growers and exporters. Bentin serves as the general manager of the joint venture between Valle y Pampa, a Peruvian blueberry production and export company, and Family Tree Farms. He has extensive experience in fruit production and global markets, and shares firsthand knowledge of the challenges and opportunities facing growers. “I think 2023 was a wake-up call for all the industry. It was really a learning experience for all of us. … One of the things we learned was how the different varieties behaved under these conditions, and there was a clear difference between certain varieties.” – Luis Vegas“ As Peru starts improving the average quality of the crop, we'll have more, as exporters, better opportunities in China, which is a very highly demanding market that establishes a big difference between premium fruit, what they consider premium fruit and regular fruit.” – Miguel Bentin Topics covered include: An introduction to Vegas and Bentin, and their work. An exploration of Proarándanos global priorities and reach. The impact weather has had on the Peruvian blueberry production over the past year.Crop ReportThe Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. You’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on December 11, 2025. 

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), brings us back to Seattle for an episode recorded at The 2025 Blueberry Convention. He’s joined by Georgia blueberry grower Alex Cornelius and dried fruit producer and processor Dominic Meduri. Cornelius shares the impact the USHBC and NABC have had on the industry, the value he finds in being involved in the convention and future efforts. Meduri provides additional perspective by reflecting on industry changes within blueberry processing. “ This is my organization and I need to be involved, and I think the American farmer needs to remember that this is our organization and that it is here for us and it benefits us. And you can't always do that from home … the NABC, the USHBC, it is here for the American farmers. Yes, it's the international businesses, but it's here to promote blueberries and it's here for us to learn.” – Alex Cornelius ”Everybody is very interested in U.S. blueberries, whether we get inquiries for fresh and frozen. You know our primary goal is to focus on dried but I think that there's still a lot of opportunities out there in a lot of different regions of the world.” – Dominic Meduri Topics covered include: A discussion of the benefits the USHBC and NABC provide producers. Opportunities for expanding the reach of the blueberry industry into dried fruit manufacturing. Crop ReportThe Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. You’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru and Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on December 4, 2025. 

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 Ray Starling, general counsel for the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce and an adjunct professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Starling serves North Carolina’s business community through statewide outreach, blending his lifelong passions for public service, agriculture, law and policy. He’s also the author of Farmers Versus Foodies and a former USDA Chief of Staff.“ It’s the public policy atmosphere that can help us the most, because frankly, it's the one that puts us most at risk, depending on what our labor policies and regulatory policies are among others.” – Ray Starling Topics covered include: An introduction to Starling and his work. Starling’s journey to find his platform and voice within the public policy space to support the agriculture industry.An exploration of the priorities Starling believes should be addressed in public policy to support the agriculture industry, including labor policies, farmer business practices and innovation. Crop ReportThe Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. You’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru and Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on November 6, 2025.

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Council (USHBC) and North American Blueberry Council (NABC), is joined by the finalists from the Blueberry Boost Accelerator. These interviews were recorded on Blueberry Lane at The Blueberry Convention 2025 in Seattle, Washington. Cronquist interviews each finalist about their business, and recognizes the winner and runner up of this first cohort. The Blueberry Boost Accelerator was launched earlier this year to fuel forward-thinking product innovation and elevate blueberries as a hero ingredient by supporting visionary startups. From functional nutrition to clean-label desserts, this inaugural cohort exemplifies the future of the power of blueberries.“This is a tight competition. There’s some great people with some great products.” – Bob Underwood, Farmer Bob’s Beyond Berries“We have, through this … accelerator program, connected with a company that is a CPG firm, and fingers crossed that we are able to … solidify that relationship there.” – Jerrod Gable, Sorbatto“I eat a ton of blueberries … the superfood, the elements, the antioxidants, the prebiotic properties; it also pairs really well with the earthy tones of the fiber that we use.” – Jessica Postiglione, Bonny Fiber Supplements “It has been a long journey building this brand and just getting the support from the blueberry team just takes it to another level.” – Dylan Paul, Pluff Today’s episode features the four finalists from the 2025 Blueberry Boost Accelerator cohort:Jessica Postiglione of Bonny Fiber Supplements, a fiber supplement flavored with blueberries to support gut health.Bob Underwood of Farmer Bob’s Beyond Berries, a frozen snack product used from upcycling blueberries and other fruit.Dylan Paul of Pluff, a unique mousse-style blueberry dessert that’s high in protein.Jerrod Gable of Sorbatto, a frozen dessert that uses highbush blueberries as its base.Crop ReportThe Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. You’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru and Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on November 6, 2025.

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 Ben Escoe, president and CEO of Twin River Berries. Twin River is a vertically integrated berry company built on a foundation of family farming and global reach. Escoe leads a network of U.S. farms and partners across Mexico, Chile and Peru, working to ensure year-round availability of high-quality blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. He was first introduced to agriculture when his father started a small organic berry operation while Escoe was studying finance in college. He recognized through that experience that “farming requires a lot of innovation” and quickly developed a passion for blueberry production.“ Success starts with our farms and with our growers. When farms succeed, we succeed. Everybody in the supply chain succeeds. … It's not all about just operating for the sake of profits. It's about building an ecosystem that works for everybody involved in genetics and markets and supply chain. Those are all tools that feed that ecosystem, and if you can make the whole system thrive, then we feel that's when you've really built something lasting.” – Ben Escoe Topics covered include: An introduction to Escoe.The beginnings and evolution of Twin River Berries and how the company has grown and expanded over time. The opportunity the variety Peachy Blue is providing to the blueberry industry.Crop ReportThe Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. You’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru and Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on October 23, 2025. 

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 Garland Reiter Jr., chief commercial officer (CCO) for Driscoll’s of the Americas and a fourth-generation berry industry leader. Reiter is known for driving innovation, sustainability and strategic growth across the berry category, which spans many global markets. In his current role, he oversees sales strategy, market expansion, customer development and business solutions, driving revenue growth across North and South America.“ On a daily basis, the principal part of my job is to try to share with our customers the importance of focusing on the consumer. The importance there and how you get that message to a consumer is by branding. And so sharing with them the value chain that we invest on the genetics, we invest on the supply chain, and we invest on the brand . … The job of the first clamshell is to sell the next clamshell.” – Garland Reiter Jr. Topics covered include: An introduction to Reiter and his career in the berry industry. An exploration of Driscoll’s focus on expanding and elevating the eating experience for customers.A look at the tiered produce offerings available in Europe, and a discussion of whether that marketing model will make its way to U.S. grocery shelves.

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Inez Be, U.S. Highbush Council (USHBC) and North American Blueberry Council (NABC) director of marketing, is joined by the finalists from the Blueberry Boost Accelerator. The accelerator was launched earlier this year to fuel forward-thinking product innovation and elevate blueberries as a hero ingredient by supporting visionary startups. From functional nutrition to clean-label desserts, the finalists exemplify the future of the power of blueberries. They’ll present their products during a “Shark Tank” style pitch competition this week at The Blueberry Convention.“ The accelerator program was designed to discover and support emerging startups who are innovating with blueberries for their consumer products.” – Inez Be Blueberry Boost Accelerator Finalists: Bonny Fiber Supplements has a fiber supplement flavored with blueberries to support the gastrointestinal tract.Beyond Berries has a frozen snack product used from upcycling a wide variety of blueberries.Pluff has a unique mousse-style blueberry dessert that’s high in protein.Sorbatto has a blue cream frozen dessert that uses highbush blueberries as its base.Crop ReportThe Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Alan Schreiber in Washington, Mario Ramirez in Mexico and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on September 25, 2025. 

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 Matias Allesandrini, commercial manager at LaFrut and a member of the Chilean Blueberry Committee (CBC) Board of Directors. With his dual roles, which are both commercial and technical, Allesandrini is uniquely positioned to connect on-farm decisions with market demands, helping growers adapt and exporters stay competitive.“ People are becoming more selective, and retailers know that repeat purchase depends on delivering a great eating experience. And I think particularly in Chile, and in the U.S., on the high-chill variety, we have a good advantage in it, which, in my personal opinion, it's where all the flavor is. So, while firmness and shelf life may guide initial selection from a logistic and commercial standpoint, flavor is what completes the picture.” - Matias Allesandrini Topics covered include: An introduction to Allesandrini and his work. An exploration of the LaFrut company, its family-based foundation and its journey toward an exporting focus.A discussion of the many challenges facing Chilean producers as they continue to pivot their focus to the global market.Crop ReportThe Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Caylan Huddleston in Oregon, Mario Ramirez in Mexico and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on September 18, 2025. 

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. Wada is the USHBC’s sr. director of nutrition and health research. Tang and Wada share some exciting results found in a study regarding complementary feeding of blueberries to infants. “ We saw these beneficial effects of the blueberry powder compared to the placebo in terms of the immunity, and we also saw that in terms of the gut microbiome. … So after eating the blueberry for seven months and after eating the placebo for seven months with the same background diet, if you take blueberry on top of what you eat, you have less of these pathogens in your gut, and that's what we saw.” — Minghua Tang, Ph.D.  Topics covered include: Hear about a recent study that identified significant benefits for infants after being fed blueberries.Discover the benefits of introducing blueberries in the complementary feeding phase of infants, and the lifelong impacts it can have on health.Crop ReportThe Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Caylan Huddleston in Oregon, Mario Ramirez in Mexico and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on September 11, 2025. 

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 partnered with VentureFuel to launch the Blueberry Boost Accelerator, a first-of-its-kind program supporting emerging brands using blueberries as a prominent ingredient. Schonenberg is a frequent speaker at top industry events like SXSW and Shoptalk, and holds executive education credentials from Harvard, MIT Sloan and Columbia Business School. He shares the value and purpose of such an innovative program and the benefit it can offer blueberry stakeholders.“ Really, it's a programmatic and high-speed way to take very promising ideas and accelerate their growth to some sort of impact. And what's really cool about what we're doing in the blueberry industry is this idea that the blueberries are the heart of this, they're the platform of innovation.” – Fred Schonenberg Topics covered include: An introduction to Shonenberg and his work at VentureFuel.A description of the Blueberry Boost Accelerator and what it hopes to achieve. The impact this intensive program can have for innovative startups with a blueberry focus.Learn more about the Blueberry Boost Accelerator today and meet the finalists – and sample their products – at the upcoming Blueberry Convention! Crop ReportThe Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Alan Schreiber in Washington, Caylan Huddleston in Oregon and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on September 4, 2025.