Blueberry packing: How will this get "SORTED" out?

Guest article by Diego Castagnasso, a fresh produce and blueberry industry expert. Loud, opinionated, INFORMED! Diego writes DC’s B-Side’s newsletter as he speaks and speaks as he writes. You can subscribe, under your own peril, to his newsletter here or visit his less fun (for now) website Drip Consulting.

I am back from Peru…

And, YES, as you might have guessed, I was looking at some packing facilities…

Although more and more exports are made in bulk, there is still some minor element of sorting that most exports need to have.

Let’s face it, the fruit is very good, “on the plant,” but unfortunately, you need to take it out and send it thousands of miles from where it all began.

And here is our first challenge, Harvest:

1. Everybody needs people to harvest, at least for fresh, and having enough is proven to be a challenge; most of all, having GOOD people to harvest is getting harder and harder.
2. Although you might have a couple of teams harvesting efficiently and with good quality, there are some things that the naked eye can’t see or detect, and for the ever-growing PREMIUM CATEGORY, you need to go through a sorting and packing facility.
3. If you manage to harvest mechanically for fresh produce, going through a packing process becomes a MUST.

Once you have the fruit out of the plant, you are ready for your second challenge: Sorting and Packing method:

1. Manual: Still widely utilized. Many packings are still used, but as your volume grows and your client's needs grow, it get less and less utilized.
2. Semi-automatic: This one utilizes some sort of machinery, usually low tech, like a sizer belt, maybe a color or a soft sorter, a line of people that check anything coming out of the machine, and a filler either by weight or volume.
3. Full out: Here, you just feed the machine, and it does almost everything for you just by using a monitor. ALL these lines have high-end sorting with cameras, lasers, infrared light, etc., YES, with all the bells and whistles!!!

I KNOW, I Know, I know… You already knew all these, but there is something new… in this category!

or so I was told…

Yes, now there is a sorting machine that can measure levels of acidity, just by LOOKING at the fruit as it flows along its “belly”.

What? Yes, read it again…

Now there is a sorting machine that can measure levels of acidity, just by LOOKING at the fruit as it flows along its “belly”.

I know, I was skeptical too… and I’m still a bit skeptical…

But people I know and respect told me that it is true, and I even talked to the guy selling and installing them.

If you have already heard about it, great; if not, I won't reveal the name until I check it works, but it is one of the big ones that is working in Peru.

Is this technology for ALL?

I don’t know if it is worth it for all, but if you are in the PREMIUM world, looking to get even better returns, like Driscolls Sweetest Batch, Sekoya’s LIVIE, or other very exclusive programs, you might want to take a look at it.

And I will give you my feedback as soon as I get myself in one of those packing houses that have it.

Is that it?

Where is the market update?

Guys and gals… aren’t you tired…

I think I am spoiling you…

Source:  Agronometrics

Source:  Agronometrics

Source:  Agronometrics

US: is losing a bit of traction.

Europe: That is, adding the UK is getting not only what was going to the US but also some of those Chinese kilos

China: Well, they are going down a bit quicker than all the Peruvian exporters would have wanted, FOR SURE.

Others: They are still strong, which is GREAT news for the Peruvian exporters looking into the future.”

Prices: As I explained last week, prices aren’t as “clear-cut” as I would want. So, I am using the Degree of Certainty approach graph that shows that

Week of 14 Sep 2025

• Estimated Values: $5.17
• Reported Values: $4.07
• Error Range: $4.46 - $5.89