In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist, president of the USHBC and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), is joined by Tom Avinelis, founder and managing partner at Agriculture Capital, for a discussion about the growing organic industry and the evolving standards that guide this market.

“(Organic) is an industry that’s grown from roughly $14 billion in total sales in 2005, up to this last year in 2021, it’s forecast to be about $63 billion.That’s been a rate at a 10% compounded growth annually for the last 15 years. No other industry, other than probably blueberries has seen that kind of growth over that time period. And even as we look forward to the next five to 10 years, we are still projecting a 9% year-over-year growth in the organic industry.” - Tom Avinelis

Topics covered include:

• What attracted Avinelis to growing certified organic blueberries.
• The challenges of producing blueberries organically.
• Where the organic market is going in terms of demand and definition.
• What regenerative agriculture means and where it fits into the overall organic conversation.

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 Todd Sanders in California, Eric Stafne in Mississippi, Ken Patterson in Florida, and Brandon Wade in Georgia. This was recorded on April 13, 2022.

Marketing Boost

A picture is worth a thousand words! Studies show our brains not only process visuals faster, but retain and transmit much more information when it’s delivered visually. On this week’s Marketing Boost, USHBC/NABC Vice President of Marketing and Communications Jennifer Sparks discusses how the USHBC uses imagery to bring blueberry innovations to life.