New licensing agreements cover China, Mexico, the US, Canada and Peru
AgroBerries Group has signed new licensing agreements with Mountain Blue Orchards (MBO) to grow and market their blueberry genetics across expanded global territories from 2027, with new plantings commencing later this year.
The new licensing agreements cover Mexico, the US, Canada and Peru as production regions for MBO genetics and the rights to grow and market MBO genetics in China.
AgroBerries Group has existing owned farming operations across the North and South American countries covered in the agreements. The addition of MBO varieties will strengthen Berry Fresh’s established presence across the Americas.
“This is an incredible opportunity for Berry Fresh and our customers. We have developed a strong blueberry program over the last two decades and these new varietals will delight even more shoppers and increase loyalty and repeat purchase within the blueberry category,” said Jyoti Bhogal, managing director of Berry Fresh, the North American headquarters for Agroberries.
AgroBerries established its Asia division in 2025 and the agreements also unlock a further opportunity in China. Head of Asia Max Emden said Chinese consumer demand for large, flavourful blueberries is growing fast, with a strong appetite for locally grown produce.
“We are incredibly excited about what these new genetics will offer, having seen the success that varieties such as Eureka Sunrise have already achieved in the Chinese market. They bring improved size and taste, which aligns with growing Chinese consumer demand for large, flavourful blueberries. They also provide better coverage of the Chinese commercial window and represent an attractive solution for growers, at a time when Chinese-origin produce has never been stronger,” said Emden.
“We will be bringing our first MBO varieties to market by the end of this year, with new plantings in China scheduled for early 2027. Combined with new rights across our AgroBerries farms in Peru and Laos, an extended season of consistent, premium fruit will accelerate our regional development.”
The introduction of Peruvian production will also mean incremental availability to European markets, complementing the current Southern African production BerryWorld EMEA has established over the last ten years.
AgroBerries Group’s European marketing division, BerryWorld and MBO have worked together since 2014, with the first commercial volumes entering Europe in 2017.
“The top-tier blueberry market in Europe has expanded rapidly and purchase frequency continues to rise,” said Adrian Olins, head of EMEA. “Better-tasting, consistent genetics – available year-round – are driving this growth. We are delighted to continue growing and marketing MBO’s existing and new varieties across Europe, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.”
Mountain Blue Orchards’ international business manager, Mano Babiolakis added: “We have worked closely with the BerryWorld team for over a decade now and have been impressed at how they have marketed premium blueberry genetics across Europe, consistently building the top tier category and year-round expectations for better flavour.
“We are confident that partnering with the wider AgroBerries Group to continue our partnership in Europe, whilst broadening the licensing into new territories, is a positive, strategic move to extend our premium genetics into other markets.”
Samuel Rowe, chief genetics officer of the AgroBerries Group, said the Group’s track record with MBO was strong and it had high hopes for the future of the partnership.
“We have successfully grown, commercialised, and marketed these premium varieties across Europe and Africa for over a decade, earning an overwhelmingly positive response from growers, retailers, and shoppers alike,” said Rowe. “We are thrilled to extend our relationship with Mountain Blue Orchards and excited to see how the new varieties and regions perform — and how their future genetic pipeline continues to push the boundaries of yield, size, and flavour.”
