Event examined how to strengthen the production and marketing supporting the premium blueberry offering
United Exports hosted the OZblu Global Grower Conference 2026 on 11 June, bringing together more than 260 delegates – including growers, investors, industry experts, retail partners, and United Exports team members – from 36 countries, under the theme “Building the World’s Most Loved Blueberry Brand”.
Held in South Africa’s Western Cape, the flagship annual event served as a stage for knowledge exchange across the entire blueberry value chain — from varietal optimisation and farm management to technology adoption and global market development.
A key highlight of the conference was the presentation by United Exports founder and executive chairman, Roger Horak, who outlined the strength of OZblu’s commercial variety portfolio.
The OZblu range of early-, mid-, and late-season blueberry varieties enables growers to strategically align production with market demand, ensuring consistent, high-quality supply across all major markets, 52 weeks of the year.
The conference featured leading voices in plant science and agronomy, including keynote speaker Andrés France, a specialist in plant pathology.
Through a combination of scientific insight and practical field data, France demonstrated how early identification of subtle plant health indicators allows for timely intervention, improved plant performance and optimal yield outcomes.
United Exports’ regional agronomy leaders also shared field management practices and performance insights from key growing regions worldwide, supporting continuous improvement across the global grower network.
United Exports’ commercial leaders from the US, UK, Europe, China and South-East Asia provided market-specific insights into evolving consumer demand, growth opportunities and retail dynamics. These sessions offered growers and partners practical strategies to enhance market positioning and drive stronger commercial outcomes in an increasingly competitive global landscape.
The conference also welcomed Peter Zhu, executive vice president of Pagoda Group, who highlighted the growing importance of premium blueberries within the company’s portfolio.
He emphasised the increasing role of high-quality imported blueberries in sustaining category growth during periods of domestic supply transition, and reaffirmed Pagoda Group’s commitment to deepening its strategic partnership with OZblu.
From collaboration and co-ownership in genetic development, to cultivation, sales and brand development, the key messages from the event were that United Exports continues to strengthen its vertically integrated model, ensuring consistency, quality and innovation at every stage of the value chain.
With production spanning 12 countries and distribution across all major global markets, the company reiterated its focus on delivering a premium product while building a brand that resonates with consumers worldwide.
