Over the past few years, the Chilean blueberry industry has undergone a profound transformation. The emergence of new players in the international market, advances in genetics, and increasing demands from consumers and retailers have driven significant changes in the way fruit is produced and marketed.

At the same time, varietal replacement has been gaining momentum across different production regions of the country, allowing growers and companies to begin identifying new growth opportunities. In this context, representatives from nurseries, exporters, consultants, and the Blueberry Committee agree that there is renewed interest in the crop, driven both by long-established blueberry growers and by investors coming from other fruit sectors.

However, they also warn that current conditions are very different from those that existed during the first expansion cycles of the blueberry industry in Chile. Today, they argue, competitiveness is closely linked to fruit quality, varietal selection, technology, and project scale.

Renewed interest in the crop

For Sebastián Ochoa, director and international consultant at CASM Blueberries, blueberries remain one of the fruit crops with the strongest prospects within the fruit industry. “Chile has been a pioneer in the global blueberry industry. We are looking at a fruit crop that continues to grow and that consumers around the world want to eat,” he says.

According to Ochoa, unlike other crops that have faced more challenging profitability scenarios, blueberries have maintained relatively stable returns, even during the years when the industry went through one of its most difficult periods. “The companies that continued developing blueberry projects did so while maintaining very attractive returns,” he states.

Ochoa notes that in recent months they have received inquiries from companies that have historically been linked to cherries and other crops and are now evaluating new investment alternatives. “With the current cherry crisis, several companies have approached us asking about blueberries,” he says.

Alejandro García-Huidobro, general manager and founder of Prize, shares a similar view. He explains that when the company decided to enter the blueberry business, it did so because it saw a crop with long-term prospects, supported by new genetics and broad market diversification.

“We entered the blueberry industry because we believed it was a product with a great future, supported by strong genetics, access to multiple markets, and the ability to be grown in many different regions,” he says.

The executive adds that one of the crop’s most valuable attributes is its ability to adapt to a wide range of agroclimatic conditions, allowing suppliers to serve markets during much of the year. “What attracted us most was the stability that blueberries offered as a long-term business,” he says.

From Fall Creek Chile, José Gallo, the company’s commercial manager in the country, also sees growing interest in the crop. “We are seeing interest not only from traditional blueberry growers, but also from companies involved in other fruit species that are identifying opportunities in blueberries that they are not seeing in other crops,” he comments.

According to Gallo, a significant share of that demand comes from producers linked to cherries, apples, and other fruit species that are currently evaluating new development opportunities for the coming years.

Expanding global demand

Sustained growth in global consumption is one of the key factors interviewees cite to explain the renewed interest in planting blueberries in Chile.

Ochoa highlights that blueberries continue to post demand growth rates that few fruit crops can currently match, estimating annual growth at around 10%. In addition, their nutritional and organoleptic properties make them highly attractive to consumers. “It is a healthy fruit, easy to eat, seedless, and demand continues to grow,” he says.

In his view, the development of new varieties has also helped strengthen the consumer experience by incorporating flavor, texture, and firmness attributes that were not always present in traditional offerings.

From the Chilean Fruit Blueberry Committee, technical manager Julia Pinto notes that the availability of fruit over a longer period of the year and improvements in product quality are helping to expand consumption.

“The increase in year-round supply and the better product that is reaching consumers thanks to new genetics are creating opportunities to increase consumption among new consumer segments,” she explains.

Pinto adds that investments currently being developed based on new genetics are entering a market that continues to grow and increasingly values differentiated, high-quality products.

Regarding investment decisions, García-Huidobro warns that the evolution of supply must also be taken into account. “There is definitely room for growth in the blueberry industry, but when supply exceeds demand in a perishable product, market problems arise,” he cautions.

According to García-Huidobro, the planting decisions being made today will have implications for the next 15 to 20 years, making it essential to carefully analyze future market trends. “There is demand for blueberries, yes, but for good blueberries, not just any blueberries,” he emphasizes.

Varietal replacement takes center stage

The progress of varietal replacement is another key issue when discussing new blueberry projects and investments in Chile.

Julia Pinto recalls that for many years growers’ main concern was determining which varieties were best suited to each production area. “Growers had no room for mistakes or poor decisions when selecting varieties, and that was information that simply was not available at the time,” she says.

To address this challenge, the Blueberry Committee launched a program to evaluate new varieties across different production regions of the country, considering productive, agronomic, and postharvest factors. “Today, thanks to all these years of evaluation work, we have accumulated a significant amount of information that we share through seminars, workshops, technical bulletins, and field days,” she explains.

Today, projects based on new genetics can be found in different regions of the country, including container-grown production systems, the use of macro tunnels, and other technologies aimed at maximizing the productive and commercial potential of the varieties.

At Fall Creek Chile, Gallo says this interest has been directly reflected in demand for plants. “We are currently facing demand that exceeds our supply capacity, and our current availability is limited by that situation,” he comments.

According to Gallo, the company expects to progressively increase its deliveries over the coming years, driven by demand from both traditional growers and new investors. The company’s goal is to reach annual sales equivalent to 1,000 hectares of plants. “Demand increased significantly from last year to this year, and from this year to 2027,” he says.

Commercial windows and opportunities for Chile

Although Peru has profoundly transformed the global blueberry market, interviewees agree that Chile still holds important opportunities to compete.

José Gallo particularly highlights the commercial window during January and February, a period when Peru begins to reduce its export volumes. “Chile continues to have a very important commercial window in January and February. We are the country with the largest volumes during that period,” he says.

In his view, Peru’s growth has also contributed to expanding global consumption and maintaining the presence of blueberries in the market for much of the year. “The momentum generated by Peru has helped put blueberries on the map in many parts of the world,” he states.

Gallo adds that Chile also benefits from a significant diversity of production areas, allowing projects to be developed both in low-chill regions and in areas traditionally associated with high-chill varieties.

For her part, Pinto believes that Chile’s main competitive advantage will continue to be linked to fruit quality. “If we can consistently deliver the quality that consumers expect, Chilean blueberries can be competitive in any market,” she says.

Competing with better genetics and better fruit

Improving the quality of Chile’s blueberry offering is one of the objectives most frequently mentioned by those interviewed.

Gallo recalls that a significant share of the difficulties Chile faced in recent years was related to differences in fruit size and condition compared with other origins. “Peru delivers fruit with much better size and condition, and Chile fell behind,” he acknowledges.

However, he argues that new genetics are helping reverse that situation. “Today, Chilean fruit can arrive with the same condition and quality as Peruvian fruit, and we have been able to confirm that,” he says.

Ochoa agrees that quality must become the industry’s main focus. “Every time I travel to Europe or the United States, I see low-quality Chilean fruit sitting next to perfect fruit from other origins. That is a mistake we cannot afford to make again,” he says.

According to the consultant, the challenge is not simply to increase planted area, but to ensure that new projects are capable of producing fruit that meets market expectations.

Technology, scale, and planning

Alongside genetics, interviewees emphasize the importance of incorporating technology and planning from the very establishment of the orchards. “You need to plan the orchard rather than simply plant for the sake of planting,” says Ochoa.

According to him, factors such as varietal selection, the production model, scale, and the consolidation of volumes are critical to the viability of any project. “The message is to choose the business plan carefully, choose the right variety, and select the right genetic program,” he adds.

The founder of Prize agrees that current market conditions demand a high degree of professionalism. “Today there is no room for doing things halfway. Either you do it exceptionally well, or it becomes a very effective way to lose money if things are done poorly,” he says.

From the Blueberry Committee, Pinto also highlights the role technology is playing across different stages of production, where it has become fundamental. “In pre-harvest, we are talking about irrigation technologies, substrates, and technologies aimed at mitigating climate impacts, among others. In harvest and postharvest, technologies include packaging, packing equipment, controlled atmosphere, modified atmosphere, sensors, and many other tools,” she explains.

An industry committed to quality

All four sources agree that the future growth of the Chilean blueberry industry will be closely tied to its ability to consistently deliver high-quality fruit.

Ochoa warns that the sector must avoid repeating the mistakes that once damaged Chile’s reputation in international markets. “I am concerned that we may see another blueberry boom and end up repeating what happened between 2000 and 2010,” he says. The consultant is referring to the large number of projects that emerged during that period without adequate technical support. “That gradually damaged our country brand, with fruit arriving at destination markets in almost rotten condition,” he recalls.

Both the private sector and the Blueberry Committee agree that Chile’s future competitiveness will be closely linked to the progress of varietal replacement. While new varieties have improved attributes such as fruit size, firmness, flavor, and postharvest life, they are also providing the tools needed to meet the demands of consumers and retailers.

Gallo argues that accelerating this process will be essential if a larger share of Chile’s exportable supply is to reflect the progress achieved by the industry. “If we want Chile to stand out, we need to accelerate scale, and the time to do that is now,” he says.

For her part, Pinto believes that the next stage of development will be defined by the industry’s ability to continue raising quality standards. “The next stage of development for the industry will depend on continuing to grow in quality, sophistication, and differentiation,” she concludes.