Berries & Fruit

Canada's berry export story rests on a genuine distinction rather than a marketing one. Wild blueberries are a different species from cultivated highbush (smaller, more intensely flavoured, higher in the anthocyanins that carry the antioxidant positioning) and they are harvested from managed wild stands rather than planted fields. That is why they command a premium and why volume varies with the season more than a cultivated crop does.

The formats divide the category. IQF frozen dominates for berries going into bakery, dairy and manufacturing. Dried and infused fruit (principally cranberries) goes into cereal, snack and confectionery applications and behaves as a formulation ingredient with its own water activity and clumping considerations. Juice concentrates serve beverage manufacturers. Fresh apples are a smaller, more logistics-sensitive trade.

For IQF product the specification points are grade, size distribution, defect and foreign-material tolerance, and whether broken fruit is included. Manufacturing buyers can often take a wider tolerance at a better price; retail and foodservice cannot.

The operational risk in this category is the cold chain rather than the product. IQF fruit that has partially thawed and refrozen clumps, and it is obvious on arrival. Confirm cold-chain capability at the destination and through the last mile before the first container ships, not after a claim.