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 Michael La Kier, vice president of brand development at the Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA). IGA is the largest affiliation of independent grocers in the U.S. and worldwide, with 1,700 U.S. stores and over 6,200 stores globally. They have thousands of independents across the U.S. working together as one entity to give access to affordable technology, programs and partnerships with the world's top consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers and service providers. Our shopper team has teamed up with IGA to help share blueberry value with consumers.

“So you have to think through in a very disciplined, strategic way of what's the point of inspiration and how do I activate it? What's that point of decision, and then point of transaction to be holistic about it? Which is what I love that you guys have started to do in terms of thinking through what is the retail strategy, not just how do we create awareness for blueberries.” – Michael La Kier

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to La Kier.
• An exploration of the strategies and efforts underway by IGA on behalf of the berry industry. 
• The impact of the Organic Produce Summit and the insights we can gain from it for the blueberry industry.
• How the blueberry industry can collaborate with IGA now and into the future. 

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, Alan Schreiber in Washington and Brody Schropp in Michigan. This was recorded on September 12, 2024.