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Sunny days bring sweet B.C. blueberries

May 20, 2016, Vancouver, BC – With the earliest start in recent memory, the 2016 British Columbia blueberry season is expected to kick off June 15.

Following an excellent 2015 harvest, the British Columbia Blueberry Council’s 800 blueberry growers are anticipating another solid supply of quality blueberries for the 2016 season.

“We were blessed with sunny days through winter and spring, which should bring British Columbia sweet, high-quality blueberries,” said Debbie Etsell, executive director of the B.C. Blueberry Council. “Because different varieties ripen as we move through the harvest, we are once again expecting a steady supply of blueberries for consumers to enjoy through until late August.”

The 2015 season yielded nearly 77 million kilograms (172 million pounds), making it the largest ever, and cementing B.C.’s status as the largest highbush blueberry growing region in the world. After many years of negotiations, fresh market access was granted by both South Korea and China in September 2015. The 2016 season will be the first full season that B.C. blueberries will be exported to these markets.

To drive demand for local blueberries in international markets, the B.C. Blueberry Council continues to attend key international trade shows in 2016. Thanks to demand for exports from B.C., the council attended Seoul Food and Hotel for the first time in May 2016, and will also attend other international trade shows such as SIAL Paris later in the year.