Blueberry Demand On the Rise in U.S.
from: U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council website
Strides made since 2004 guide future marketing strategies
Folsom, Calif. – New research from the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) shows Americans are nearly twice as likely as they were nine years ago to buy blueberries in the coming year, and the number of households saying they’ve purchased blueberries within the past month (69 percent) has nearly doubled since 2008. In alignment with the industry’s goals of continuing to grow consumption, today’s blueberry consumers are also trending younger and more diverse; they’re more likely to be 35-44 year-olds (often parents with kids at home) and minorities than they were in 2004.
“With the mom market representing $2.7 trillion in annual spending in the U.S. and the Hispanic market expected to hit $1.5 trillion in buying power by 2015, this shift represents a step in the right direction for the blueberry industry,” said Parm Bains, chairman of the USHBC. “Connecting with the next wave of blueberry purchasers will continue to be a key strategy in driving demand, and this research shows our promotion efforts to date have been on target and are paying off.”
