Agronometrics is a platform that provides market performance analysis for the fresh produce industry. The firm helps clients make informed, data-driven decisions and identify marketing opportunities by leveraging data and analytics. Founder and CEO Colin Fain began his company “to help people not feel helpless” when studying data trends, and to offer a great tool for easier analysis and decision-making. 

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist, president of the USHBC and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), reports from Guadalajara, Mexico, where he was attending the annual meeting for Mexico’s berry trade association, the Aneberries Congress. While there, Fain shared how data is helping to grow the blueberry industry, provided insight into his event remarks and explained where he sees the blueberry category going in the future.

“The place to start off with building any kind of data system is looking at the value that you want to drive with said data system. … As an industry starts to grow, uncertainty becomes a more and more expensive thing to deal with. Supply shocks, overstocking and not having enough inventory to move through the system becomes harder and harder to manage, and really a cost at the end of the day to the entire industry. So where you're able to consolidate the information from all the different players involved and reduce that level of uncertainty, that is a value added.” - Colin Fain

“From where I’m standing … there is still hunger for this growth. And I think there is a good organization and structure to improve upon these factors and drive the consumption of blueberries.That's going to increase demand … so I'm incredibly optimistic for blueberries.” - Colin Fain 

Topics covered include:

• Fain’s background in market analysis and the value of Agronometrics for the produce industry.
• The development of the Mexican blueberry industry and its effects on the American market.
• The benefits and insights in the new report Agronometrics is creating, and how it can help blueberry producers make critical decisions.

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 Rex Schultz in Michigan, Doug Krahmer in Oregon, Bryan Sakuma in Washington, and Jason Smith in British Columbia. This was recorded on August 11, 2021. 

Fall Event Registration

Have you registered yet for Innovate 2021: USHBC+NABC Tech Symposium and Fall Meetings? The action takes place at The Grand Hotel in Salem, Oregon, September 27-October 1, with a virtual attendance option also available. Register today at blueberryevents.org.