Vancouver, British Columbia-based fresh produce grower, marketer and distributor Oppy has recently added North Carolina to its portfolio of berry growing regions, bridging the gap between Mexico’s and the Pacific Northwest’s blueberry seasons and securing year-round blueberry supplies.
Oppy expects North Carolina blues to begin the last week in April or the first week in May, Tim Crane, category manager of blueberries, said in a news release.
“We expect a strong inaugural season. Our grower-partner is using state-of-the-art sorting and grading machinery but continuing to hand pick, which will make for a superior quality pack,” Crane said in the release.
Related news: New varieties and logistics issues are part of South American Blueberry Convention agenda
Joining the Oppy team in mid-2022 with over 15 years of experience as a global produce buyer in the U.S. and U.K., Crane is taking his retail-based knowledge and applying it to Oppy’s future offerings.
“North Carolina is an excellent spot to expand our scope and provide an alternative to California blueberries. With a particularly long season window, it has the potential to be the most extensive deal on the east coast,” Crane said in the release.
Available in both conventional and organic, in a range of sizing including jumbo, blueberries will be packed in the Ocean Spray label in all preferred formats. With recognition across multiple grocery aisles, Ocean Spray bolsters high brand awareness in the produce section while supporting cohesion in a category typically filled with label pollution, according to the release.
Having led the greenhouse category in recent years while elevating Canadian expansion into items like organic ginger and Spanish garlic, Executive Director of Berries and Canadian Category Development Aaron Quon added berries to his role at the beginning of the year after 15 years with Oppy. Crane and Quon will work in tandem to bring this new item to market.
“I am excited to have made this transition and contribute to this growing category for Oppy and our customers,” Quon said in the release.
