Topics in this issue of Behind the Blue:
- Blueberries’ Record-Setting Moment Happening on National Blueberry Day
- Grab a Boost of Blue Industry Champions
- June Nielsen Report Shows Positive Dollar Gains for Blueberries, Continuing Positive Trends
Blueberries’ Record-Setting Moment Happening on National Blueberry Day
Thursday, July 8 is National Blueberry Day, and we are commemorating this exciting part of National Blueberry Month in record-setting fashion.
Tune into ABC’s Good Morning America (GMA) on July 8 as USHBC attempts to break the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ for the Tallest Stack of Pancakes! Chef George Duran will be doing the stacking honors during the second hour of the program, and has created a custom recipe for stackable blueberry pancakes bursting with bright blue color and flavor.
We’ll be watching with anticipation and celebrating the big moment at USHBC, and encourage all of our industry stakeholders to do so as well. No matter where you watch the exciting moment happen – whether it’s in your office or on your smartphone in a blueberry field – be sure to share your own celebration with us. Share your images or videos on your social media channels and be sure to tag us @blueberries and #boostofblue so we can see your posts or stories! Or simply email your “moment” to [email protected].
And don’t forget, today and all month long, our National Blueberry Month Toolkit provides you with everything you need to promote blueberries this month, from tip sheets to social media content to digital advertising and more. Download this toolkit and other turnkey content on the Grab a Boost of Blue industry resource hub.
Grab a Boost of Blue Industry Champions
Grab a Boost of Blue, USHBC’s strategic positioning and consumer call to action, inspires and drives demand for blueberries through a comprehensive marketing campaign singularly focused on getting blueberries onto shopping lists and into grocery carts. Each week, more and more industry partners and stakeholders are embracing the Grab a Boost of Blue campaign. This week, we’re highlighting another industry champion that has leveraged Grab a Boost of Blue in a unique and creative way.
Oregon Berry Packing Inc. recently incorporated the Grab a Boost of Blue logo on the underside of its blueberry clamshell packaging. Next year, they’re hoping to place the logo on the front of the clamshell. Kelly Hulburt, fresh market sales and operations manager at Oregon Berry Packing, said the decision was an easy one. “We are hoping to inspire the consumer to shift their thought process behind blueberry buying at the retail level,” she notes. “The language, Grab a Boost of Blue, indicates a quick, easy snack that is loaded with good energy. It is a call to action – pick me, pick me!”
Check out even more industry champions and find the rest of our participating industry stakeholders and marketers here. To join these and other industry champions that are helping encourage consumers to Grab a Boost of Blue, explore our Industry Resource Hub to find all the available tools and more, including advice to best leverage the national campaign and drive sales year-round.
June Nielsen Report Shows Positive Dollar Gains for Blueberries, Continuing Positive Trends
As part of our commitment to delivering strategic value to the industry, USHBC publishes monthly reports using Nielsen retail sales data that summarize blueberry sales performance. Our most recent Nielsen report for the week ending June 26, 2021, is available here.
Blueberries are continuing to perform well at retail as National Blueberry Month kicks off and domestic peak season is in full force. As the report notes, fresh dollar sales for blueberries are up (+10.2%) and posted positive dollar gains in all domestic blueberry regions in June. And while frozen dollar sales declined 8.8% compared to last year, they continue to run ahead of pre-pandemic levels by a net increase of +21% from 2019.
These monthly retail sales reports can effectively supplement industry members’ own internal data, helping you to understand the marketplace and make more informed business decisions and plans.
Each report provide a high-level summary of:
- Blueberry, berry category and produce category performance.
- Overall dollar, unit and volume sales trends for frozen and fresh.
- Trends by pack size.
- Trends by Nielsen region.
Summaries of the preceding month’s retail sales performance are posted at the end of the second week of every month. Find the full list of reports at ushbc.org/nielsen-reports.