With a very large number of independent producers trying to market a product from an area relatively remote from large human population, marketing used to be a major problem.
The method of marketing depends to a great extent on the size of the business.
At one end of the scale there are the “hobby farmers” with an acre or two (less than a hectare) attached to their homes.
At the other end are the “big business boys,” the blueberry barons of the blueberry barrens.
Small farmers with less than 100 acres (40 hectares) have to be more commercially minded.
Some which have blueberries as part of their overall farm income may make enough money to live on, while other need an alternative, additional source of income.
Forestry, fishing and tourism all provide possible sources.
Some manage their own blueberry fields and harvest their own fruit, then sell to to a larger grower with modern sorting, packing and processing facility or to a local cooperative or agent who takes the fruit to the next stage.
Others, particularly older owners or those who need to spend their money and energy doing other things, carry out some of the work themselves but have a contract arrangement with larger growers who do the rest.
In some instances, contractors both manage the fields and take care of harvesting, packing, storage and marketing.
Large growers with hundreds or even thousands of acres carry out all the growing. Harvesting, processing, packing and storage themselves and act for others where required.
With the development of effective methods of freezing and transporting frozen fruit in the 1970s, the market began to expand.
From 1979, Japan became an increasingly important market.
This might seem strange because blueberries, either would or cultivated, had been unrecognized as a food in Japan. However, blueberries with their distinct visual appeal and association with American folklore, soon caught the imagination, and although the trend has turned in favor of the bigger cultivated blueberries, Japan is a major buyer of wild blueberries for processing and pharmaceutical use.
Market and Distribution of Blueberry
