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 Ellie Symes, CEO of The Bee Corp, and Luis De La Garza, general manager of Royal Oaks Farms, to discuss technology that helps beekeepers maximize pollination revenue per hive, and aids growers in reducing costs and optimizing pollination quality.

“Our growers use [Verifli] to make sure they’re good to go for pollination and to make sure they’re getting what they paid for in the hives that they rent. …We’re also interested in helping growers to determine how many hives they need per acre and what is their optimum. How far can they decrease this cost and still get good strong berries? ” - Ellie Symes

“This technology is not invasive, you can just scan the [beehive box] and get a very good idea of the health of the colony. ” - Luis De La Garza

Topics covered include:

• How The Bee Corp was founded by Ellie Symes.
• The function of The Bee Corp’s proprietary software, Verifli, and how it helps improve pollination efficiencies.
• De La Garza’s experience with Verifli on his berry farms in Watsonville, California.
• Advice from Symes on how to best maximize the pollination window.

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 Andres Armstrong in Chile and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on February 9, 2022.

Marketing Boost

Public relations is a key component in USHBC’s marketing mix. On this week’s Marketing Boost, USHBC/NABC Vice President of Marketing and Communications Jennifer Sparks discusses the latest health research and how that was parlayed into a successful PR campaign.