Newly installed as the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) Vice President of Marketing & Communications, Jenni Sparks had an ideal introduction to the wide ranging world of the blueberry industry: attending last week’s Virtual Conference & Expo. In this episode, we get her initial impressions of the blueberry industry and reflect on the many presentations and keynotes given at last week’s conference. 

Host Kasey Cronquist, president of USHBC and NABC, is joined by Jenni Sparks, VP of Marketing & Communications for USHBC. 

“What stood out, number one, were the people...people who are extremely smart and truly believe in their product and are very excited about bringing those benefits to the consumer.” - Jenni Sparks

“There was a lot of discussion about creating habits, so it’s not just a one-time purchase. It’s how do we get them coming back and wanting more and finding new and different ways to find [blueberries]?” - Jenni Sparks

This episode features a conversation with Sparks. Topics include: 

• Jenni’s background in the floral industry
• Initial impressions of the virtual conference
• Importance of adapting your product to consumer needs
• Making research digestible for the consumer 
• Driving “Boost of Blue” 
• What “inspiring possibilities” means for the industry 

Crop Report - October 7, 2020 

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout North America. In this episode, you’ll hear from Jason Smith in British Columbia, Doug Krahmer in Oregon and Luis Vegas with a report from Peru. This was recorded on October 7, 2020.