Fresh Argentinean and Chilean blueberries will be imported into North America for the first time this fall under the Ocean Spray label following the signing of an agreement with the company’s marketing partner, The Oppenheimer Group.
Under the deal, fresh blueberries from Argentina will enter the market from the beginning of mid-October, followed by fruit from Chile in mid-December, according to a press release from Oppenheimer. The fruit will be available from both sources through early March.
This program follows successful New Jersey and British Columbia fresh blueberry “trial” program the two companies executed last summer, and builds logically on their shared annual cranberry marketing initiative, according to John Anderson, Oppenheimer’s chairman, president and CEO.
“Oppenheimer and Ocean Spray have marketed cranberries together in Canada for decades, and exclusively in the US since 2003,” said Mr Anderson. “Ocean Spray is a powerful brand that consumers trust. Extending it to fresh blueberries makes a great deal of sense, especially at a time when blueberries are gaining popularity and their health benefits are widely known.”
With blueberry volumes from both Chile and Argentina growing, Mr Anderson added that consumers are increasingly looking for the fruit on a year-round basis.
Argentinean exports alone have increased from around 100,000 flats to just under 3.4m flats in the last seven years, according to Copexeu, the committee of Argentinean producers and exporters of fresh fruits and vegetables to the US.
Argentina currently represents about just under one quarter of South America’s total production, while Chile remains the continent’s largest blueberry producer by far, accounting for 74 per cent of the volume.
Oppenheimer will offer Ocean Spray fresh blueberries in the standard 4.4-ounce clamshells from Argentina to start the program, transitioning into a 6-ounce and pint clamshells as the demand increases in late December and larger packs are preferred.
Early fruit will travel by air into Miami, Los Angeles and Philadelphia, and be followed by vessel shipments to Los Angeles and Philadelphia.
“The fresh blueberry program complements the launch of our new Ocean Spray blueberry juice in December,” explained Scott Simmons, general manager of fresh fruit for Ocean Spray.
“This past summer, we marketed the fresh New Jersey blueberries alongside the juice in select retailers, cross promoting with a neck tag on the juice that discounted the fresh fruit. It was received very favorably.”
Mr Simmons said a similar promotional approach will be used with the imported fruit. “While blueberries and cranberries deliver different benefits, they share a similar health appeal,” he explaine. “We believe consumers will respond well to both the juice and fresh products.”
The Ocean Spray blueberry program builds on a modest imported and domestic blueberry program that Oppenheimer has crafted strategically over the last half decade. “We see a great deal of potential for blueberries,” Mr Anderson summed up.
“We are happy to see our Southern Hemisphere volume grow this fall and winter through the Ocean Spray program, complementing the Northern Hemisphere program we bring to market in the summer.
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