It’s almost time for the harvest of Portuguese blueberries to commence. According to Lourenço de Botton of Portuguese fresh produce exporter Logofruits, demand is increasing every season: “Our blueberry harvest is planned to start in week 3. As a company, we’re looking at a harvest of around 1600 tons of blueberries in 2024. Overall, demand seems to be very strong, which is not only due to the lack of volumes from Chile and Peru. There’s also a simple fact that the demand for blueberries is increasing year after year, and this growth does not seem to be stopping anytime soon.”
Logofruits isn’t as worried about competition from other Portuguese blueberry exporters as de Bottom states they expect to sell blueberries all year round. “In terms of direct competition within Portugal, we can say we are comfortable in our position, being the biggest producer by far. Portuguese blueberries are known for their outstanding quality, and our season, which is from January until July, is definitely a very interesting window. Now, with the BBC Tomra machine, we expect to sell blueberries all year round, with our own fruit as well as sourcing them from third parties.”
The lower availability of South American blueberries does mean pricier blueberries in Europe: “So far, we do notice a slight increase in the blueberry prices. This has to do with the lack of fruit coming in from Peru and Chile but also with inflation in general. All in all, we expect to have the best season so far, not just in terms of kilos but also quality. Fortunately, our client list remains the same as last season, which means we’re able to grow with them and work in close partnership,” de Botton concludes.
For more information:
Lourenço de Botton
Logofruits
Tel.: +351 914 666 661
Email: [email protected]