In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist, president of the USHBC and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), and co-host Alicia Adler, USHBC and NABC vice president of global business development, are joined by Mark Crowell, CEO and co-founder of CuliNex, to discuss last fall’s Blueberry Bootcamp episode, and the future of blueberries as a “clean label” ingredient.

“At the beginning [of CuliNex] we called it organic and natural products. Today, we have a broader label that is accepted, which is ‘clean label’ product development, and blueberries fit in perfectly within that focus for us. ” - Mark Crowell

“Blueberries make people happy. It’s the feel-good fruit.”  - Mark Crowell 

Topics covered include:

• Crowell’s background in the food ingredient space, including his time at Starbucks and founding CuliNex in 2005.
• Overview of the “clean label” initiative and CuliNex’s role in developing clean label products.
• Cowell’s takeaways from last fall’s Blueberry Bootcamp, and how USHBC’s new partnerships are fostering collaboration in the industry. 
• The endless possibilities for blueberries as an ingredient. 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout North and South America. In this episode, you’ll hear from Andres Armstrong in Chile, Luis Vegas in Peru, and Mario Ramírez in Mexico. This was recorded on February 2, 2022

Marketing Boost

“Grab a Boost of Blue” isn’t USHBC’s brand – it’s the industry’s call to action to motivate consumers to make blueberries part of their everyday lifestyle. On this week’s Marketing Boost, USHBC/NABC Vice President of Marketing and Communications Jennifer Sparks discusses the success of “Grab a Boost of Blue” and why that matters for the industry.