As our Southern hemisphere blueberry production from South Africa and Zimbabwe rise, the outlook is optimistic for the 2022-23 season.

“It is still early days, but we are optimistic about the potential ahead and expect volumes to be up by 15% YoY. We are growing with our customer base, while still exploring expansion opportunities in different market segments in order to give our growers exposure to a strong mix of orders globally”, says Jason Richardson, Managing Director at BerryWorld South Africa.

Our blueberry journey

Established in 1993, BerryWorld South Africa has grown into the biggest blueberry exporter in the country with low and high chill growing locations across South Africa and Zimbabwe to ensure an earlier start and a longer season.

After the success of the first MBO releases first launched to market in 2017, our South African team have focused on expanding their premium varietal offer, which aims to optimise top tier lines with high end retailers globally, encouraging loyalty from shoppers and driving consumption.

“In our 25-year journey in berries, flavour has always played a key role to drive purchase and long-term industry growth, that is why we have focussed on premium award-winning genetics to sustainably deliver the highest quality varieties all year round, says Adrian Olins, Divisional CEO at BerryWorld Group.

Exclusive blueberry varieties

One of the top performing varieties, BerryWorld® Eureka Sunrise™, selected by world renowned breeder Ridley Bell in 2014 for its early period of fruit ripening, high yield, and unique flavour will see a growth YoY of 85% this season, demonstrating a global appetite for premium varieties.

Given the challenges being faced by the fresh produce industry globally, our local team is employing several strategies to ensure it will be a successful season.

“We have Information and supply chain systems in place to help deal with the rigour of the current logistics landscape. At the same time, we are working towards reducing complexity in the supply chain in order to serve customers consistently well and supply a high-quality product that exceeds customer expectations”, continues Richardson.

We trusts that their strong blueberry supply from South Africa and Zimbabwe as well as its unique varietal offer, and market expertise will continue to drive year-round demand.

Discover our world of berries

If you're keen to learn more about our world or discover more about blueberry production, then follow our berry expert video series on LinkedIn from South Africa as we visit resident berry experts to discuss the global demand for our blueberries.