Thanks in part to deregulation, the South Korean blueberry export market has exploded in recent years, becoming a top market for both frozen and fresh blueberries from the United States. While the fresh market is still limited to blueberries from Oregon, frozen blueberries can be shipped from any state. 

Hosts Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), and Alicia Adler, vice president of USHBC and NABC, are joined by Tyler Norris, industrial salesman at Columbia Fruit, and Jeff Peterson, grower relations manager at Columbia Fruit. Peterson and Norris join the show to talk about the emerging South Korean export market. 

“[South Korea] is forward-thinking. [The blueberry market] started off relatively small, you give them a quality product year after year, it works well for everyone.”  - Tyler Norris

“South Korea has emerged as the top export market in Asia for fresh blueberries as well as frozen, overtaking Japan, which has been a longer export market for blueberries.” - Alicia Adler

Topics covered include: 

• The South Korean market as compared to other export markets.
• The largest driver of growth in South Korea.
• Retail preferences in South Korea.
• Requirements for importing frozen berries into South Korea.
• “Blueberries from America” certification.

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 Juan Soria Morales in Mexico, Luis Vegas in Peru, and  Isabel Urrutia in Chile. This was recorded on Feb. 10, 2021