The Business of Blueberries

In this special episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), delivers a keynote on why industry progress comes from people working together, and shares USHBC’s role in growing the entire blueberry category. Cronquist outlines the need to balance a 148% supply increase over 15 years with demand growth through health research, advertising, data and market development, emphasizing “a home for every berry” across fresh and frozen, and new usage occasions.

“ Progress happens when people choose to build something together. All of you are responsible for a slice, but USHBC is responsible for the whole pie, and our job in the next five years is to change consumer behavior so more people crave blueberries, buy them more often and eat more each time.” – Kasey Cronquist

Topics covered include:
A description of meaningful and measurable changes that will benefit blueberry growers.
An overview of increasing purchase frequency, expanding consumption beyond breakfast and driving greater volume per occasion.
A discussion about the power of working together as an industry for the benefit of all.

Crop Report
The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru and Liczy Sotomayor in Mexico. This was recorded on October 1, 2026.

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 Oregon Blueberry Sales Manager Doug McCann. Oregon Blueberry is one of the largest wholesale blueberry nurseries in North America. McCann brings deep expertise in supply-and-demand forecasting, and his work supports decision-making across the blueberry supply chain. He’s also an active participant in industry conversations, regularly engaging through research, conferences and fellow growers to stay ahead of emerging trends.

“ Yield has been a consistent driver in our breeding program. We know there's firmness out there. We know there's storage life. We know there's flavor. We have all those characteristics in the industry. We've got to get the yields up, and I think that's so important to the grower, and that's what's going to carry them into the future.” – Doug McCann

Topics covered include:
A description of Oregon Blueberry’s history and how its breeding program has evolved.
An overview of four recent cultivar releases from Oregon Blueberry.
A discussion about Rabbiteye, its reputation and its future.
The importance of target traits like flavor, firmness, storage and especially higher yields.

Crop Report
The Blueberry Crop Report was given live at the Blueberry Convention this week in Monterey. It will return to the podcast next week!

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 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 partnered with VentureFuel last year to launch the Blueberry Boost Accelerator, a first-of-its-kind program supporting emerging brands using blueberries as a prominent ingredient. Schonenberg reflects on the first year of the program, and builds anticipation for the second accelerator cohort and live pitch competition that will take place at The 2026 Blueberry Convention.

“The goal is we want to find the companies with the highest growth potential. We want to shorten the time it's gonna take them to realize that growth and set them up for success. All on the idea of if they're successful, they're gonna buy more blueberries. And that's really the end goal of this.” – Fred Schonenberg

Topics covered include:
A description of the Blueberry Boost Accelerator and the goals of the program. .
A discussion of the accelerator program’s innovative approach to ingredient marketing,
An overview of what to expect from this year’s accelerator cohort
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 Report
The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Liczy Sotomayor in Mexico and Emilie Parkanzky in Michigan. This was recorded on September 17, 2026.

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), is joined by Walmart Senior Merchandising Director Melissa Byland. As one of the world’s largest blueberry buyers, Walmart relies on experts like Byland to ensure customers receive great quality and value with each purchase. Byland plays a pivotal role in understanding and fulfilling customer needs, and ensuring that the highest quality produce reaches shoppers nationwide. Byland says omnichannel expectations have risen, making consistent quality, reliable availability and recognizable value critical across in-store and online shopping. She first appeared on the podcast in 2024 on episode 173.

“ I'm proud to say that we are in a position now where we are able to provide our customers with blueberries every day, and so that still remains a focus for us. … So, it's really been partnering with our growers and suppliers to make sure that they're able to provide our customers with a consistently great experience every day. And even though we're not 100% there yet, since we talked in 2024 at the convention, I think that the industry has made great strides in being able to provide high-quality, consistently good berries for much of the year.” – Melissa Byland

Topics covered include:
An introduction to Byland and her role at Walmart.
Blueberry category growth opportunities at retail.
USHBC’s partnership with Walmart and Walmart Connect.
Walmart’s focus on improving consistent eating quality through stronger, less-transactional relationships with growers and suppliers.

Crop Report
The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from TJ Hafner in Oregon, Emilie Parkanzky in Michigan, Luis Vegas in Peru and Liczy Sotomayor in Mexico. This was recorded on September 10, 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), continues his conversation about the Peruvian blueberry industry with the general manager of Proarándanos, Luis Miguel Vegas. As a reminder, Proarándanos is the Peruvian Blueberry Growers' and Exporters' Association. Vegas discusses Peru’s blueberry market, highlighting the upcoming reports (June Report and August Report) and the industry's preparations for future El Niño events. Through his weekly crop reporting, Vegas keeps the entire industry equipped with the critical data and strategic insights we need to navigate the market. If you missed part one of our conversation with Vegas, check out episode 243.

“ Peru keeps growing in plantings, and that's compensating for the reduction in productivity in yields because of El Niño … . Every El Niño phenomenon is unique. This phenomenon El Niño is more extreme than the one we had back in 2023… . But we learned and we saw what were the final numbers, for example, in Ventura in 2023. So, we can anticipate better what might we expect by the end of the season, for example, with Ventura's production, which as everybody knows is the most affected variety here in Peru with the warmer-than-usual climate.” – Luis Miguel Vegas

Topics covered include:
A continuation of the conversation about Peru’s blueberry market with Vegas.
The impact Vegas expects from the latest El Niño event.
An exploration of the June and August reports generated by Proarándanos, and a discussion of what they signal for the Peruvian blueberry industry.

Crop Report
The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from TJ Hafner in Oregon, Alan Schreiber in Washington, Maria Santiago in Michigan, Luis Vegas in Peru and Sunny Brar in British Columbia. This was recorded on September 3, 2026.