One of the Blueberry Committee’s key goals this season is to boost exports to regional markets
Chile has exported around 73,000 tonnes of blueberries so far in the 2025/26 season, 20 per cent more than in the same period last year, according to Andrés Armstrong of the Chilean Blueberry Committee. He said the increase is due to high temperatures bringing production forward.
Armstrong said shipments for the season should end slightly below the 90,000 tonnes exported last season. Europe has taken 55 per cent of total shipments so far, and a 36 per cent increase compared to the same period of the previous season. “This is driven in part by a diversion of fruit from the US, due to tariff issues and better opportunities in specialised niches in European countries,” he noted.
Exports to Asia are also up by 2 per cent, with significant gains in South Korea (+21 per cent), Chile’s biggest Asian market, and Taiwan (+156 per cent).
Exports to Latin America have increased by 25 per cent so far, with Argentina being the main destination, reflecting a 31 per cent rise in Chilean blueberry imports to date. Meanwhile, Brazil – Chile’s second most important market in Latin America – shows a 9 per cent increase in shipments.
Armstrong said the sector has entered a new phase of growth thanks to the increased production of new varieties. One of the committee’s key goals this season is to boost exports to regional markets such as Argentina and Brazil and to this end, it has decided to renew its promotional activities in both countries.
“The committee has opted to resume its historic role as a promoter of consumption, a task that has been in its DNA since its creation 15 years ago,” Armstrong noted, adding that for the last four or five years the focus had been on classifying and evaluating varieties to improve Chile’s export mix.
“We felt it was time to start doing that again; and for this, we chose markets that, while small, have growth potential within Latin America, including Chile,” he continued.
Armstrong said neighbouring countries like Argentina and Brazil are being targeted not only for consumption potential but also because of their proximity and complementarity.
“Chile is a strategic partner to complement local production in Argentina, since its season ends when Chile’s is just beginning. Furthermore, consumption has grown thanks to the efforts of the Argentine industry itself, and now our ‘AMO Blueberries’ promotional campaign will add to that,” he said.
In early January, the committee also carried out a promotional campaign in Chile, which, under the slogan “Blueberries all the time,” sought to highlight the health benefits of the fruit, as well as fun ways to enjoy blueberries in the summer. The campaign included interviews in national media outlets (TV, radio, and newspapers), as well as the dissemination of promotional materials on social media, and also featured the participation of prominent influencers such as Connie Achurra.
“We’ve already started the promotion in Argentina, and we’ll do it later in Brazil, emphasising a more local perspective and message, that is, one relevant to the reality of Argentine and Brazilian consumers,” Armstrong said. “That’s why in Argentina we use the slogan, and we accompany all the pieces with ‘AMO’ (I love), as an exclamation of satisfaction upon tasting them, because of their sweet flavour.”
According to Armstrong, Chilean blueberries are “achieving a consistency that attracts not only regular consumers, but also new segments that value the flavour experience, and that is a distinctive factor of our blueberries”.
