USHBC President on Mexico’s role in the North American blueberry industry: “We can’t do it by ourselves”

During the 16th edition of the Aneberries Congress, held last week in Guadalajara, Mexico, Kasey Cronquist, leader of the US Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC), took center stage to analyze the challenges and opportunities facing the regional blueberry industry. Moreover, Cronquist explained that, among the 50 percent of American households that buy blueberries, only 20 percent account for 60 percent of the dollars spent. The latter, the executive explained, put blueberries in the publication’s yearly best-selling Sexiest Man Alive issue, making the fruit the Sexiest Food Alive. Mexico: An essential piece in the North American blueberry puzzleIn light of the recent USTR announcement retiring the United States from the US-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA), the blueberry industry leader emphasized the important role the Aztec country plays in the North American berry landscape. Through a series of charts, Cronquist explained that Mexican fruit enters the US at a critical time when local production is low.