Naturipe Farms is kicking off the summer season with promotable volumes of its blueberries from New Jersey, Michigan and the Pacific Northwest, according to a news release.
Following a strong start to the domestic blueberry season in the Southeast, Naturipe will transition to crops in New Jersey, Michigan and the Pacific Northwest to provide an ample supply of blueberries for the entire summer, the release said.
Naturipe said it is the country’s largest blueberry supplier and the No. 1 brand of fresh blueberries. The marketer has grown dollar sales of blueberries at 2 1/2 times the prior 52-week growth of the category, the release said.
“Demand for blueberries has been fantastic so far this year, which leads into a perfect scenario for a large crop coming on from New Jersey then transitioning into Michigan and the Pacific Northwest,” Jim Roberts, president of sales for Naturipe Farms, said in the release. “Mother Nature has been kind to us this year, unlike the last three years. We are pleased to have strong crops with promotable volumes and better quality. This will provide retailers with the opportunity to increase promotional frequency, open up displays with multiple pack sizes and achieve record sales in the category.”
The “berry” blue summer will kick off with promotable volumes from New Jersey in the second week of June, with the duke and draper varieties, as well as Naturipe’s proprietary Envoy variety. New Jersey will experience peak volume in mid-June and then the crop will transition to Michigan and the Pacific Northwest at the beginning of July, the release said.
Peak volumes in the Pacific Northwest will continue from mid-July to early August, while Michigan will see peak volumes in late July through mid-August, according to the release.
“We’re really excited about our new varieties in all of these growing regions at Naturipe Farms,” Brian Bocock, vice president of product management, said in the release. “Our growers are going through an evolution in varieties that takes the top characteristics of existing varieties and delivers even better taste, flavor, size, texture, shelf life and more. Growers, retailers and consumers, regardless of variety, are going to get an improvement over what we’ve seen in the past.”
Throughout the summer, Naturipe’s Mighty Blues Blueberries will also be available and will bring a “larger than life” aspect to retailers’ berry lineups, the release said. Nearly the size of a quarter, Mighty Blues are a super-sized way to enjoy Naturipe’s fresh offerings.
Naturipe’s Blueberries will be offered in a range of package sizes, including 6-ounce, pint, 18-ounce and 2-pounds, as well as the stackable, easily merchandisable low-profile pint package, the release said.
Naturipe offers recipes for consumers at its website.
