In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), is joined by Bryan Sakuma and Teddy Koukoulis, the incoming chairs of the USHBC and NABC. Together, they discuss what interested them in these new roles, the value the two organizations bring to each other and what their leadership will offer the blueberry industry going forward. 

“  As a farmer that's in Florida, I'm thinking the most important thing to me is the last two weeks of March and the first two weeks of April. But as a marketer, as a retailer, blueberries are important 365 days a year. … It's going to be one of my jobs as part of the NABC to continue these town hall meetings and educate people that other regions are not our enemies, that we can work together.” – Teddy Koukoulis

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Sakuma and Koukoulis, and their blueberry industry experience. 
• An exploration of what brought them to their new roles and what they hope to achieve for the industry. 
• A discussion about how the two organizations can work together and support each other to benefit the industry.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Brittany Lee in Florida, Andres Armstrong in Chile and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on January 30, 2025.