The Business of Blueberries

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Council (USHBC) and North American Blueberry Council (NABC), is joined by the finalists from the Blueberry Boost Accelerator. These interviews were recorded on Blueberry Lane at The Blueberry Convention 2025 in Seattle, Washington. Cronquist interviews each finalist about their business, and recognizes the winner and runner up of this first cohort. The Blueberry Boost Accelerator was launched earlier this year to fuel forward-thinking product innovation and elevate blueberries as a hero ingredient by supporting visionary startups. From functional nutrition to clean-label desserts, this inaugural cohort exemplifies the future of the power of blueberries.“This is a tight competition. There’s some great people with some great products.” – Bob Underwood, Farmer Bob’s Beyond Berries“We have, through this … accelerator program, connected with a company that is a CPG firm, and fingers crossed that we are able to … solidify that relationship there.” – Jerrod Gable, Sorbatto“I eat a ton of blueberries … the superfood, the elements, the antioxidants, the prebiotic properties; it also pairs really well with the earthy tones of the fiber that we use.” – Jessica Postiglione, Bonny Fiber Supplements “It has been a long journey building this brand and just getting the support from the blueberry team just takes it to another level.” – Dylan Paul, Pluff Today’s episode features the four finalists from the 2025 Blueberry Boost Accelerator cohort:Jessica Postiglione of Bonny Fiber Supplements, a fiber supplement flavored with blueberries to support gut health.Bob Underwood of Farmer Bob’s Beyond Berries, a frozen snack product used from upcycling blueberries and other fruit.Dylan Paul of Pluff, a unique mousse-style blueberry dessert that’s high in protein.Jerrod Gable of Sorbatto,  a frozen dessert that uses highbush blueberries as its base.Crop ReportThe Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. You’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru and Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on November 6, 2025.

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Council (USHBC) and the North American Blueberry Council, is joined by Ben Escoe, president and CEO of Twin River Berries. Twin River is a vertically integrated berry company built on a foundation of family farming and global reach. Escoe leads a network of U.S. farms and partners across Mexico, Chile and Peru, working to ensure year-round availability of high-quality blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. He was first introduced to agriculture when his father started a small organic berry operation while Escoe was studying finance in college. He recognized through that experience that “farming requires a lot of innovation” and quickly developed a passion for blueberry production.“ Success starts with our farms and with our growers. When farms succeed, we succeed. Everybody in the supply chain succeeds. … It's not all about just operating for the sake of profits. It's about building an ecosystem that works for everybody involved in genetics and markets and supply chain. Those are all tools that feed that ecosystem, and if you can make the whole system thrive, then we feel that's when you've really built something lasting.” – Ben Escoe Topics covered include: An introduction to Escoe.The beginnings and evolution of Twin River Berries and how the company has grown and expanded over time. The opportunity the variety Peachy Blue is providing to the blueberry industry.Crop ReportThe Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. You’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru and Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on October 23, 2025. 

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Council (USHBC) and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), is joined by Garland Reiter Jr., chief commercial officer (CCO) for Driscoll’s of the Americas and a fourth-generation berry industry leader. Reiter is known for driving innovation, sustainability and strategic growth across the berry category, which spans many global markets. In his current role, he oversees sales strategy, market expansion, customer development and business solutions, driving revenue growth across North and South America.“ On a daily basis, the principal part of my job is to try to share with our customers the importance of focusing on the consumer. The importance there and how you get that message to a consumer is by branding. And so sharing with them the value chain that we invest on the genetics, we invest on the supply chain, and we invest on the brand . … The job of the first clamshell is to sell the next clamshell.” – Garland Reiter Jr. Topics covered include: An introduction to Reiter and his career in the berry industry. An exploration of Driscoll’s focus on expanding and elevating the eating experience for customers.A look at the tiered produce offerings available in Europe, and a discussion of whether that marketing model will make its way to U.S. grocery shelves.

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Inez Be, U.S. Highbush Council (USHBC) and North American Blueberry Council (NABC) director of marketing, is joined by the finalists from the Blueberry Boost Accelerator. The accelerator was launched earlier this year to fuel forward-thinking product innovation and elevate blueberries as a hero ingredient by supporting visionary startups. From functional nutrition to clean-label desserts, the finalists exemplify the future of the power of blueberries. They’ll present their products during a “Shark Tank” style pitch competition this week at The Blueberry Convention.“  The accelerator program was designed to discover and support emerging startups who are innovating with blueberries for their consumer products.” – Inez Be Blueberry Boost Accelerator Finalists: Bonny Fiber Supplements has a fiber supplement flavored with blueberries to support the gastrointestinal tract.Beyond Berries has a frozen snack product used from upcycling a wide variety of blueberries.Pluff has a unique mousse-style blueberry dessert that’s high in protein.Sorbatto has  a blue cream frozen dessert that uses highbush blueberries as its base.Crop ReportThe Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Alan Schreiber in Washington, Mario Ramirez in Mexico and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on September 25, 2025. 

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Council (USHBC) and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), is joined by Matias Allesandrini, commercial manager at LaFrut and a member of the Chilean Blueberry Committee (CBC) Board of Directors. With his dual roles, which are both commercial and technical, Allesandrini is uniquely positioned to connect on-farm decisions with market demands, helping growers adapt and exporters stay competitive.“ People are becoming more selective, and retailers know that repeat purchase depends on delivering a great eating experience. And I think particularly in Chile, and in the U.S., on the high-chill variety, we have a good advantage in it, which, in my personal opinion, it's where all the flavor is. So, while firmness and shelf life may guide initial selection from a logistic and commercial standpoint, flavor is what completes the picture.” - Matias Allesandrini Topics covered include: An introduction to Allesandrini and his work. An exploration of the LaFrut company, its family-based foundation and its journey toward an exporting focus.A discussion of the many challenges facing Chilean producers as they continue to pivot their focus to the global market.Crop ReportThe Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Caylan Huddleston in Oregon, Mario Ramirez in Mexico and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on September 18, 2025. 

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 Minghua Tang, Ph.D., and Leslie Wada, Ph.D. Tang is an associate professor and the Lillian Fountain Smith Endowed Chair in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Colorado State University. Wada is the USHBC’s sr. director of nutrition and health research. Tang and Wada share some exciting results found in a study regarding complementary feeding of blueberries to infants. “ We saw these beneficial effects of the blueberry powder compared to the placebo in terms of the immunity, and we also saw that in terms of the gut microbiome. … So after eating the blueberry for seven months and after eating the placebo for seven months with the same background diet, if you take blueberry on top of what you eat, you have less of these pathogens in your gut, and that's what we saw.” — Minghua Tang, Ph.D.  Topics covered include: Hear about a recent study that identified significant benefits for infants after being fed blueberries.Discover the benefits of introducing blueberries in the complementary feeding phase of infants, and the lifelong impacts it can have on health.Crop ReportThe Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Caylan Huddleston in Oregon, Mario Ramirez in Mexico and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on September 11, 2025. 

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Inez Be, director of marketing at the U.S. Highbush Council (USHBC) and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), is joined by VentureFuel Founder and CEO Fred Schonenberg. VentureFuel is an innovation advisory firm that helps major brands, such as Netflix and General Mills, unlock growth through startup collaborations. The USHBC has partnered with VentureFuel to launch the Blueberry Boost Accelerator, a first-of-its-kind program supporting emerging brands using blueberries as a prominent ingredient. Schonenberg is a frequent speaker at top industry events like SXSW and Shoptalk, and holds executive education credentials from Harvard, MIT Sloan and Columbia Business School. He shares the value and purpose of such an innovative program and the benefit it can offer blueberry stakeholders.“  Really, it's a programmatic and high-speed way to take very promising ideas and accelerate their growth to some sort of impact. And what's really cool about what we're doing in the blueberry industry is this idea that the blueberries are the heart of this, they're the platform of innovation.” – Fred Schonenberg Topics covered include: An introduction to Shonenberg and his work at VentureFuel.A description of the Blueberry Boost Accelerator and what it hopes to achieve. The impact this intensive program can have for innovative startups with a blueberry focus.Learn more about the Blueberry Boost Accelerator today and meet the finalists – and sample their products – at the upcoming Blueberry Convention! Crop ReportThe Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Alan Schreiber in Washington, Caylan Huddleston in Oregon and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on September 4, 2025. 

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” we welcome guest host Steve Mantle, founder and CEO of Innov8.ag and USHBC’s partner in the BerrySmart Field program, who is joined by  Tim Hyde, CEO and co-founder of SWAN Systems. They’re coming to you live from the fields at this year's Washington State Berrysmart Field Demo Day in Mount Vernon, Washington. Together, they discuss how tech innovation and data can help solve problems and increase profitability for producers. Hyde shares about the significance of precision irrigation management in Australia and the many practices they’ve researched and developed to allow for growth in the dry Australian environment.“  We had our millennial drought from 2000 to 2010, and we're seeing that over here where you've got pressures with lack of water. We have wage increases with that, and also the whole social license is really impacting how customers and consumers want to see their product grown and they don't really want to see water wasted. So we're just trying to help growers be more successful.” – Tim Hyde Topics covered include: An introduction to Hyde and SWAN Systems’ work in Australia. An exploration of the water-saving solutions Australia has established and what North American producers can learn from their efforts.What you can expect to hear during sessions on this topic at The Blueberry Convention in Seattle this October.Crop ReportThe Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Sunny Brar in British Columbia, TJ Hafner in Oregon, Alan Schreiber in Washington, Brody Schropp in Michigan, Mario Ramirez in Mexico and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on August 21, 2025. 

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Council (USHBC) and the North American Blueberry Council, is joined by Harry Kaiser, Ph.D., a professor at Cornell University. Kaiser directs the Cornell Commodity Promotion Research Program and conducts economic evaluations for national agricultural marketing programs, including the USHBC. In this interview, Kaiser discusses his career in measuring the impact of agricultural promotion programs and the findings of his recent independent analysis on the return on investment (ROI) of the USHBC.“  In other words, what I found was if you had an extra dollar to spend (on top of your budget) … it would return $19.29 cents in industrywide profit, net revenue operating profits, which is a very, very high ROI.” – Harry Kaiser, Ph.D. Topics covered include: An introduction to Kaiser and his work. Kaiser’s independent analysis of the blueberry industry’s investment in the USHBC and its ROI.The methodology followed to determine the ROI of the promotional spend to producers.How the blueberry industry can continue to increase demand to keep pace with rising global production.Crop ReportThe Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru, Sunny Brar in British Columbia, TJ Hafner in Oregon and Alan Schreiber in Washington. This was recorded on August 14, 2025. 

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Council (USHBC) and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), is joined by Amanda Griffin, vice president of engagement and education for USHBC/NABC. Cronquist and Griffin discuss how blueberry industry events have evolved throughout the years, and why gatherings like The Blueberry Convention, October 8-10 in Seattle, are must-attend for knowledge building, networking and more. “We wanted to focus on how to get the most out of what the event is by having relatable content, Blueberry Lane and the meetings all in one spot . Rather than doing that twice a year, let’s just do it once. The other fun piece to this is it allowed for us to open up resources to do more of what we are hearing the industry wanted … for us to come to them.” – Amanda Griffin  Topics covered include: The evolution of USHBC events and how they’ve grown and expanded over the years.What to expect at this year's Blueberry Convention, including new content and standout elements to get excited about.Increased excitement around Blueberry Lane and Blueberry Row.Crop ReportThe Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from TJ Hafner in Oregon, Sunny Brar in British Columbia, Mario Ramirez in Mexico, Brody Schropp in Michigan and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on July 31, 2025. 

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Council (USHBC) and the North American Blueberry Council, is joined by USHBC Chair Bryan Sakuma. As a fourth-generation grower, Sakuma brings deep industry experience to his role as a leader of strategic initiatives for the blueberry industry. His passion for blueberries and vision for collaboration among producers is helping shape the future of the industry. In this episode, Sakuma discusses efforts to further engage our growers and encourage their involvement in meetings and events.“ Every meeting we go to we learn a little bit more about how to better be prepared, what growers are wanting to hear, how they're wanting to hear it, because some people are verbal, some people want to see something on a chart and others just want to be one-on-one. So the different aspects are interesting and we're learning, and I think we're doing a better job of getting that information out and growers understanding where we're at, where we're headed and when we're going to get there.” – Bryan Sakuma Topics covered include: The latest opportunities for collaboration between the blueberry industry and growers. Sakuma’s vision and priorities for USHBC in the coming years.How USHBC is thinking about technology for industry growth.The ways producers can access and participate in industry meetings. Crop ReportThe Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from TJ Hafner in Oregon, Alan Schreiber in Washington, Sunny Brar in British Columbia, Brody Schropp in Michigan and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on July 24, 2025. 

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Council (USHBC) and the North American Blueberry Council, is joined by Dennis Tootelian, Ph.D., an emeritus professor of marketing in the College of Business at California State University, Sacramento. Tootelian is also a nationally recognized expert in economic impact research for agriculture, with two landmark studies quantifying the U.S. highbush blueberry industry’s multi-billion dollar economic contribution. With decades of experience advising commodity groups, he brings deep insight into how data drives industry growth and advocacy. “ So, growers had a huge impact nationally. Those were the numbers, but this occurred in each of the eight states that we looked at, millions, hundreds of millions of dollars in activity. Thousands of jobs created. Hundreds of millions in spending as a result of labor income, millions in taxes that get to be used …  Blueberry growers and importers spent about $3.6 billion in an average year, 10 million a day, roughly, and that's a lot of money to be spending, and it resulted in an economic impact of little over $9 billion, or about $25 million every day of every year.” – Dennis Tootelian, Ph.D.  Topics covered include: An introduction to Tootelian and his research. An explanation of the macro-economic impacts of the blueberry industry and how they are measured.A deep dive into the data generated by Tootelian’s research, and what the data shows policymakers about the impact of the blueberry industry.Crop ReportThe Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from TJ Hafner in Oregon, Sunny Brar in British Columbia, Alan Schreiber in Washington, Pat Goin in Indiana and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on July 17, 2025. 

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Council (USHBC) and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), is joined by Steve Mantle, founder and CEO of Innov8.ag. Mantle and his team have been working closely with USHBC to transform high-tech field data into actionable insights. With test fields already established, Mantle is here to share where we are today, where we’re headed and why the BerrySmart Fields program is just getting started. He dives into the intersection of technology and agriculture – specifically, how we’re improving our ability to forecast yield using data-informed decisions across the blueberry supply chain.“ Our work is focused on validating a smart farm network that enables blueberry growers, packers, marketers, stakeholders, sales tech and research to collaborate on farm operation optimization. So everything from what tech to be using, how to use it, to the bigger picture of how do we unlock data insights across the blueberry industry in ways that help the whole blueberry value chain grow and thrive into the future.” – Steve Mantle Topics covered include: An introduction to Steve Mantle and his work. The purpose and impact of the BerrySmart Fields, and what it offers to all stakeholders in the blueberry supply chain.What the future holds for the BerrySmart team, and the innovations they’re evaluating and sharing with the industry.How to learn more at The Blueberry Convention 2025. We hope to see you there! Crop ReportThe Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Alan Schreiber in Washington, TJ Hafner in Oregon, Brody Schropp in Michigan, Matt Macrie in New Jersey and Sunny Brar in British Columbia. This was recorded on July 10, 2025. 

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Council (USHBC) and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), is joined by Ken Gilliam, vice president of predictive analysis at The Directions Group, and Cassidy Marn, account executive at The Directions Group. Together, Gilliam and Marn turn insights into real-world game plans, get teams on board and help teams move in the right direction to drive impactful decisions across organizations. Currently, they’re assisting USHBC with a survey related to its 2026-2030 strategic plan.  “ You need data to make a better decision about what your next strategy is, and that survey is one of the primary tools that we use to inform the data stack that we need to find the issues that are most relevant to USHBC and the rest of the council.” – Ken Gilliam  Topics covered include: An introduction to The Directions Group and the history of the organization.A discussion about the USHBC survey and why it’s so crucial for blueberry stakeholders to participate. (You can participate now here!) The topics and questions included in this year’s survey.How The Directions Group separates itself from other groups to reach a broader audience.Check out the “Farmer of the Future 2.0” report by The Direction's Group, a foundational study and audience segmentation of U.S. farmers that changed the way many organizations had previously approached the market.Crop ReportThe Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Mario Ramirez in Mexico,Michelle Borges in California, Sunny Brar in British Columbia and Brody Schropp in Michigan. This was recorded on July 3, 2025.

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Council (USHBC) and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), is joined by Lucas Thelosen, founder and CEO of Gravity, and Joe Vargas, director of business intelligence for USHBC and NABC. Thelosen has been at the forefront of leveraging technology to transform industries, and today he and Vargas discuss what this means for blueberries and for agriculture.  “ What if we could bring the same level of analytical sophistication that someone like Amazon has or someone like Google has, to the average business?” – Lucas Thelosen“ I think that artificial intelligence piece where you can have an analyst with you 24/7, whether you're working on stuff in an airplane or in the middle of the night, it's there for you to be able to help you understand things that you didn't see.” – Joe Vargas Topics covered include: An introduction to artificial intelligence (AI) and its use for extracting insights from data.A discussion about how the USHBC is leveraging advancements in AI to help the industry make more optimal decisions. Why this is the next evolution of the BerrySmart Insights platform.How data and AI will impact the future of the blueberry industry.Crop ReportThe Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from TJ Hafner in Oregon, Alan Schreiber in Washington, Jody McPherson in North Carolina, Pat Goin in Indiana, Luis Vegas in Peru and Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on June 12, 2025. 

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Council (USHBC) and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), is joined by Mario Steta, chair of the International Blueberry Organization (IBO) and vice president of sustainability, compliance and public affairs for Driscoll’s Europe, Middle East and Africa. With deep experience in global berry production and trade, Steta is helping lead the charge on innovation, sustainability and international collaboration in the blueberry industry. Under his leadership, the IBO represents over 90% of the world’s blueberry production. He shares the current state of affairs in the blueberry industry and the many benefits he sees in global collaboration to improve technology and innovation for all blueberry stakeholders. “ But, in essence, we see the blueberry industry and our commitment to it, beyond what we do as a company and with our growers, as an effort that speaks for exactly what we’re doing today. Opening up and having a dialogue of the things we can work together, the concerns we have, and the differences we have, too, which is important.” – Mario Steta Topics covered include: An introduction to Steta and his work with IBO and Driscoll’s.  A discussion on IBO’s mission and the progress it’s making on behalf of the global blueberry industry.Details on this year’s IBO summit in South Africa.Insights from the IBO 2024 Report.Crop ReportThe Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Mario Ramirez in Mexico, Michelle Borges in California, Sunny Brar in British Columbia, Jody McPherson in North Carolina, TJ Hafner in Oregon, Luis Vegas in Peru and Derrin Wheeler in Georgia. This was recorded on June 6, 2025. 

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Council (USHBC) and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), is joined by Paul Sandefur, Ph.D., vice president of research and development at Fall Creek Farm and Nursery. Sandefur received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in  horticulture from the University of Arkansas, and his doctoral degree from Washington State University. He leads the mid- and high-chill blueberry breeding program based in Oregon, and collaborates closely with Fall Creek’s breeding teams in Mexico and Europe. He joins the podcast to share about the process of bringing new blueberry varieties to the market, and the many characteristics Fall Creek is focusing on for the future of the industry.“ Now, I have the pleasure of working with our global team to bring new varieties to the market. So really focusing on new varieties that have the eating experience that brings the joy that we need consumers to have, that we want consumers to have, but then also have the grower economics to make it work. That’s what gets me going and that’s what I get excited about doing every day.” – Paul Sandefur, Ph.D.  Topics covered include: An introduction to Sandefur and his work. The process behind developing new blueberry varieties and the obstacles plant breeders face in bringing them to market.The traits and unique qualities of the Peachy Blue variety. Crop ReportThe Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Mario Ramirez in Mexico, Luis Vegas in Peru, Todd Sanders in California, Sunny Brar in British Columbia, Jody McPherson in North Carolina and Pat Goin in Indiana. This was recorded on May 29, 2025. 

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Council (USHBC) and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), is once again joined by Leslie Wada, Ph.D., and Alyssa Houtby. Dr. Wada is our very own senior director of nutrition and health research at the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council. She’s responsible for furthering the reputation and appreciation for the health benefits of blueberries and USHBC’s health research program. Houtby is the director of government affairs for the North American Blueberry Council and serves as a policy adviser to the USHBC, helping identify and advance the public policy goals for blueberries. Together, they collaborate to increase the impact of the blueberry industry on government policy and health research to continue to expand consumer demand for blueberries.“  I don't think anybody would ever question that blueberries are a healthy product, but now we have, because of the USHBC and the work that Dr. Wada has led, we have credible science to stand on and influence government policies. … So it's a great space for us to work in as a credible source of information, and also politically savvy enough to identify where the opportunities are.” – Alyssa Houtby Topics covered include: An introduction to Wada and Houtby, and their work for the councils.The opportunities for blueberries that emerge from the revision of the dietary guidelines and the growing viewpoint of “food as medicine.”How the blueberry industry can impact future government policy and health research efforts.Crop ReportThe Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Georgia, California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Indiana, Mexico and Peru. This was recorded on May 8, 2025. 

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Council (USHBC) and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), is joined by Haiying Zhang, USHBC director of global business development. Zhang has a strong background in the agriculture industry and was previously the senior director of global marketing for American Pistachio Growers. In her role at USHBC, she works to expand global blueberry trade by increasing consumption in international markets. Zhang also works with the USDA to seek grants to continue to develop global markets. “  My job at USHBC is to expand the global trade for our blueberries through increasing consumption in our international markets. And so, really, our goal is to make blueberries the world's favorite fruit.” – Haiying Zhang  Topics covered include: An exploration of the USHBC’s efforts to expand the number and size of international markets for blueberries.The purpose and benefits of the USDA’s Market Access Program (MAP) and Regional Agricultural Promotional Program (RAPP), and how they are being used to promote the blueberry industry.A deep dive into the analysis performed to evaluate global markets and determine which are most valuable to pursue.Crop ReportThe Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Mexico, North Carolina, California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. This was recorded on April 24, 2025. 

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, is joined by Brian Kuehl, executive director of the Agriculture Trade Education Council. The Agriculture Trade Education Council is the premier resource for education on the value of agricultural trade policies, practices and structures. Its mission is to provide understandable and reliable information on trade to inform and empower decision-making that facilitates growth in U.S. food and agriculture. He also serves as the director of government and public affairs at Pinion, a leading advisory and accounting firm dedicated to the food and agriculture industry. In this episode, he shares the history of global trade as we know it today and  unpacks the issues that are significant to the blueberry industry going forward.“ The Agriculture Trade Education Council views itself as content neutral in the sense of it's not taking a stand for tariffs or against tariffs, or for a free trade agreement or against a free trade agreement. That's not its job. Its job is to provide trade information, so it tries to stay out of the fights and the debates. It tries to just provide information so that everyone who's engaged in those discussions can operate off a common platform of knowledge and understanding.” – Brian Kuehl Topics covered include: An introduction to Kuehl and his work. The opportunities provided by the Agriculture Trade Education Council and the importance of this type of education.The history of the global trade system and the dynamic nature of its evolution.The most significant aspects of current agricultural trade that will impact the blueberry industry.Crop ReportThe Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Jody McPherson in North Caroline, T.J. Hafner in Oregon and Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on April 17, 2025.