Florida Blueberry Growers Seek To Build Buzz
November 5, 2012 
For blueberry growers in the Sunshine State, business is good, but it could always be better. More than 400 eager growers and other industry professionals turned out last week for the Florida Blueberry Growers Association (FBGA) Fall Meeting & Short Course in Plant City to discuss ways to keep the good times rolling.
Coming off a season that had its share of challenges including lack of chilling hours, a late freeze, and an epic bird barrage, growers are looking to apply lessons learned and build new momentum.
In an exclusive one-on-one with Florida Grower at the event, FBGA President Bill Braswell says the main lessons learned from last season revolved around an element that is hard to control: weather. “Without proper chill, Florida blueberries don’t produce much of a crop,” he said. “While the volume was down (50% of the crop in some cases), the price was up, which was the good part of it. But the big takeaway (from last season): no chill, no crop.”
For those who do have a crop, Florida blueberry growers still hold an availability advantage over outside competitors. Chile and Georgia continue to influence the Florida market, Braswell said. While the volume of blueberries coming into the global marketplace continues to increase, there is a bright side. “The good news for us is that it’s not increasing tremendously in the Florida market window,” he said. “I don’t want people to be concerned that we’re going to produce so much fruit that we’re going to shoot ourselves in the foot with it. We still have a great window and we’re going to have a great window for a long time.”
During the business update portion of the meeting, Braswell cited feedback he gathered from attending the recent U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council Meeting in St. Louis. He warned those in attendance to prepare for a hike in the blueberry assessment fee. The current $12 per ton collected for research and promotion will be going up to $18 per ton starting in 2014. Several comments from attendees questioned the 50% hike. Braswell acknowledged and pointed out that the proposal was originally for a 100% percent raise in the fee.
To help make up some of the effects felt from supply and demand decisions, Braswell says more effort is needed in marketing efforts to not only help awareness, but also drive consumption. “We as Florida growers as well as North American growers need to stay ahead of the blue tidal wave of fruit,” he said praising the effectiveness of research and promotion.
Braswell mentioned the Association is planning on a more aggressive print advertising campaign targeting retailers. In addition, he mentioned the value of social media. “A little bit of time and a $50 investment on Facebook got 115,000 people to look at our website,” Braswell said.
Beyond the Association’s to-do list, Braswell says local growers themselves need to take time to spread the word. “We do have to recognize that we’re going to have to get out and sell it ourselves more. We have to make people aware of when our season is and that we’re in the marketplace.”
Going forward, Braswell sees several trends taking hold for Florida blueberry producers. “Production is up, and farms are still going in, which worries a lot of people. Also, farmers are doing a better job of forecasting. Therefore, we’re not surprising our marketers with the crop we’re bringing in. They’re able to handle it better, which translates into a better price for us.”
The FBGA will hold its Spring Meeting in early March. There, growers will get a better idea of how the 2013 season is shaping up.
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