Arturo Merino, general manager of Inka's Berries, and Carlos Agreda, its general commercial coordinator, spoke with FreshFruitPortal.com about the company’s current status, crop projections, and challenges ahead.

By May 31 of this year, Inka's Berries completed the planting of 303 new hectares of blueberries in the southern part of the country (Ica), in addition to the 103 hectares in Huacho, in the department of Lima, and the 213 hectares in Cayaltí, in the department of Lambayeque, in northern Peru.

The company was born as a nursery more than 17 years ago. Observing what other countries, such as Chile, were doing with this crop, they introduced the blueberry to the government, a fruit that is now a key component of Peru's agro-export basket.

“We started with the Biloxi variety and then we specialized as a nursery, to such an extent that we signed an agreement with the University of Georgia in 2012 to develop new blueberry varieties in Peru,” said the company's general manager.

He added that this was how they managed to obtain the first varieties of their own: Salvador and Matías.

Merino pointed out that “one of the company's characteristics is that more than 90% of our fields are planted with our own varieties. The varieties that we are currently promoting and focusing on are Abril Blue+ and Alessia Blue”.

Knowledge and experience in blueberries

The general manager specified that the hallmark of Inka's Berries, in terms of know-how for customers, “is that they really like Abril Blue+, in terms of flavor, as it is sweet, but with a sour part at the end, which generates a good balance of flavor.

In Europe, the favorite variety is Alessia Blue, a slightly larger and crunchier fruit.

On the productive side, Merino pointed out that these are early varieties, “which allow you to produce kilos as soon as they are planted, from the 5th month, obtaining an average of 2 kg per plant”.

“These are plantations that allow you to start recovering the box very quickly and are very resilient,” the general manager emphasized.

Regarding Alessia, he added that it has a very noble agronomic management, “and I think it is the bet we are going to follow for future expansions”.

Positioning in the Peruvian Industry

Carlo Agreda, commercial coordinator, explained that both varieties have an early production: “After pruning, they can produce as early as 5 months. So, by having these two varieties, you are ahead of the Peruvian production peak and we beat the traditional varieties”.

In this sense, he commented that one of the strategies is to bet on strategic pruning to target the most undersupplied windows of the markets.

“In addition, these varieties are allowing us to reach more demanding markets in terms of fruit quality,” he said.

Currently, the varieties arrive in optimal conditions in China, “which allows us to have better returns in the ‘peak’ of the campaign, up to 35% higher than other markets. This represents a very competitive price for us”.

Projection

When asked about the current season, Merino said last season ended with 4,500 tons. “This season we are estimating to export twice as much, so we expect to reach 8,800 tons,” he said.

He attributed the growth to more mature plants, some now in their second or third year. In Ica, 300 hectares have been planted, effectively doubling the area and enabling the increase in volume.

However, expanding production brings challenges. Labor is one of them.

“From November on, the grape season starts, and we will have to compete with large companies for labor,” Agreda said.

Merino said challenges exist throughout the supply chain. “Ideally, we producers should coordinate to flatten the curve, so we can supply the world consistently,” he said. “Logistical problems are not minor either—container shortages, road access, and proper trucking. And we cannot ignore external factors, like political issues and U.S. tariffs.”

Markets

This year, the projected market distribution is 50% to the United States, 40% to Europe, and 10% to Asia, with China as the leading Asian buyer.

Last year, Inka’s Berries shipped blueberries to Asia for the first time. Abril Blue+ and Alessia Blue accounted for 5% of total exports.

This season, the company has nearly doubled that volume and is sending 70 containers to China, aiming for nearly 200 next season.

Though Asia currently represents only 10% of exports, the company aims to grow that to 20% next season and 30% within two years. At that point, export distribution would be roughly one-third each to the U.S., Europe, and China.

Next steps

“Our goal is to reach 1,000 hectares by 2030,” said Merino.

“Since we doubled our productive area, we’ve implemented a replacement and replanting program. As a result, we now have 380 hectares in their first year. Notably, 62% of our fields are orchards that will undergo their first harvest this season. After that, we’ll assess where to expand,” he said.

He closed with a message for the broader industry: “Agriculture has the potential not only to be the world’s pantry, but to be a dominant industry.”

“I invite you to coordinate more and build greater unity, so external problems don’t affect us. Otherwise, many of us risk being hurt along the way by competing against ourselves—when in fact, we should see ourselves as a growing industry,” he said.