Oppy’s summer starts with BC blues
The first week of summer brings one of the season’s favorite flavors—BC-grown blueberries—into the market earlier than ever from The Oppenheimer Group.
Grown just down the road from the company headquarters, BC blueberries have become a signature item for the marketer in recent years. This season, the fruit is ten to 14 days earlier than usual, according to Jason Fung, Oppy’s director of category development.
“The BC blueberry crop is enjoying the benefits of the mild winter and warm spring experienced in the Pacific Northwest and Lower Mainland,” Fung said. “We’re expecting consistent volumes of large berries through July and August.”
Fung noted that blueberry production in California, Oregon and Washington are ahead of schedule as well, making room for BC blueberries to dovetail seamlessly into promotional calendars at retail, especially in July.
“While our early and mid-season varieties are very prolific, we’re confident in a consistent supply through early September from our three strong grower partners,” Fung said. “Things will tighten up a little toward the end of the season, but we expect to have good volumes of fruit for the next few months.”
Oppy is offering BC blueberries in varied pack styles, including 6-oz., pint, 18-oz. and 2-lb clamshells sporting Sesame Street characters and/or the Oppy brand.
For customers in the Eastern U.S. and Canada, Oppy is featuring New Jersey blueberries simultaneously.
“It’s rare to have the BC blueberry season sync up with the New Jersey supply, but the weather in both places has changed things up this year. For us, it means delivering the freshest possible blues to customers in any region virtually all summer,” Fung said.
In season, Oppy also offers blueberries from Argentina, Chile, Peru and Uruguay.
