Blueberry Convention Keynote: Growing the Category and Creating a Home for Every Berry

In this special episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), delivers a keynote on why industry progress comes from people working together, and shares USHBC’s role in growing the entire blueberry category. Cronquist outlines the need to balance a 148% supply increase over 15 years with demand growth through health research, advertising, data and market development, emphasizing “a home for every berry” across fresh and frozen, and new usage occasions. 

He frames success around measurable behavior change: Creating more desire, doubling household reach beyond 15 million, increasing purchase frequency above eight times per year, expanding consumption beyond breakfast and driving greater volume per occasion, including moving average household consumption from 6.4 to 7.2 pounds.

“ Progress happens when people choose to build something together. All of you are responsible for a slice, but USHBC is responsible for the whole pie, and our job in the next five years is to change consumer behavior so more people crave blueberries, buy them more often and eat more each time.” – Kasey Cronquist

Topics covered include: 

• A description of meaningful and measurable changes that will benefit blueberry growers.
• An overview of increasing purchase frequency, expanding consumption beyond breakfast and driving greater volume per occasion.
• A discussion about the power of working together as an industry for the benefit of all.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru and Liczy Sotomayor in Mexico. This was recorded on October 1, 2026.