Brazil gains prominence as a strategic market for Chilean and Peruvian blueberries

With a population exceeding 210 million people and a steadily growing economy, Brazil has become a key market for the blueberry industry in Latin America.

From Prize, Rodrigo Estévez, the company’s commercial manager, highlights the growing importance of this destination within the company’s commercial strategy. “For us at Prize, within the context of the Latin American market, Brazil is a very attractive market. It has enormous consumption capacity and a category that has been growing for several years. We started by selling pallets in Brazil, and today we have very strong acceptance from Brazilian consumers,” he explains.

He adds: “We are currently shipping blueberries from both Peru and Chile. It is undoubtedly a market with great potential, growing demand, and strong purchasing power. It is a very large country and a global powerhouse, so we aim to continue expanding there.”

Steady growth in exports

Prize has been exporting Chilean and Peruvian blueberries to Brazil for the past six years. Currently, shipments reach approximately 300,000 kilos, depending on the season and market conditions.

Estévez notes that one of the main opportunities lies in the size of the market and consumers’ willingness to pay for high-quality fruit.

According to him, the opportunity is linked to the country’s large population, combined with a market that is willing to pay a good price for a quality product. “In addition, we have a logistical advantage similar to what we have with Argentina, although with slightly longer distances. While we can reach Argentina in two to three days, we can reach Brazil in approximately one week, which still represents a competitive window compared to other destinations. Our blueberries are being very well received in the Brazilian market,” he explains.

In this context, one of the main challenges for the industry is to supply such a large-scale market consistently throughout the year.

“The challenge in Brazil is how we develop and supply a market and a powerhouse of this scale over the twelve months of the year, with a high-quality product sourced from different origins, mainly Chile and Peru,” Estévez concludes.