Driscoll’s targets consumer insights to rebuild berry demand
Add Fresh Fruit Portal to GoogleLeading berry producer and distributor Driscoll’s sees substantial room to expand consumption despite a difficult year for the category in the Americas, says Global Chief Marketing Officer Jiunn Shih.
The company’s priorities include understanding consumers more closely, creating a consistent global brand, and highlighting the appeal of raspberries and blackberries.
On the floor of the 2026 Global Produce & Floral Show in Orlando, Florida, Shih sat with FreshFruitPortal.com to discuss the opportunities ahead and the immediate challenge of rebuilding demand.
Image by Driscoll's | Archive
Why are you optimistic about berries?
There is still so much tailwind behind the category. More and more consumers are asking for foods that are natural, high in fiber, and nutrient-dense. They want snacks that are healthy and convenient. And that's berries’ big advantage: they are incredibly convenient to eat on the go.
Driscoll's is so well placed because we have all four berries and have been investing in making them available year-round. That puts us in a strong position, not just here in North America, but we are growing very rapidly in China and in EMEA as well.
Where do raspberries and blackberries fit into that opportunity?
The headspace for raspberries and blackberries is tremendous. People do not know enough about them, but they are easy to snack on, and kids love them.
We've launched this new campaign for both, really focusing on the fact that they are high in fiber. We've done a large quantitative survey with consumers here in the US, and every single person we asked said, “Yes, fruits are a great source of fiber.” But when we asked them to identify the highest-fiber fruits among the top 20 top-selling fruits in the US, raspberries and blackberries ranked in the bottom half when they are among the highest in fiber.
What are your main marketing priorities?
A key priority for me is to really inject more consumer centricity in this business.
Driscoll’s has always been known for great berries, but are we delighting berry consumers? We need to understand where and why people eat berries and what they want from them.
How should that influence breeding? Are consumers looking for particular flavors, textures, colors, or health properties?
Bringing those insights into the business is a key priority.
The second is creating a more consistent expression of Driscoll’s globally. Packaging and marketing activities do not always look or sound the same across markets. We want one global positioning and platform for engaging consumers.
The third priority is building our team’s capabilities across the organization.
What has made this year difficult?
Consumer concerns following the cyclosporiasis outbreak spilled into other fresh produce categories. At the peak, the overall berry sales dropped by about 15 percent, and raspberries by about 25 percent. Not just Driscoll’s, but across the whole category.
Secondly, if you're here in the US, you will hear a lot about affordability. There is huge pressure on disposable income, so obviously people are being more choiceful when they go into a supermarket.
How are you responding?
We're meeting with all of our key customers and retailers in order to recover and start regrowing the category.
The good thing is that we have very strong partnerships with our customers and retailers. And for them, berries is a very important category for fresh produce.
We are working closely with retailers to help the category recover and return to growth. Berries are an important part of their produce business, and we have strong partnerships with many customers.
Obviously, there are things we can control and things that we cannot. What we can do is focus on execution and work with retailers to rebuild a category that matters to both of us.
Written by Tom Azzopardi | Reported by Ed Vernon in Orlando, Florida.
*Main image by Ed Vernon; other images by Driscoll's | Archive.
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