An Update on Blueberries

California-grown blueberries

At Good Eggs, our produce buyers are proud to source high-quality blueberries all year round through our partnerships with a geographically diverse network of farmers across distinct microclimates, including Forbidden Fruit Orchards, Coastal Moon Berry Farms, Triple Delight Blueberries, Sierra Cascade Blueberry Farm, and partner farms in the Pacific Northwest. In 2022, 97% of the blueberries sold by Good Eggs were grown domestically, primarily in California.

This year, though, the global blueberry supply has been stressed everywhere by severe weather events and changing environmental conditions. Washington’s blueberry season typically comes to a close at the end of October, but an extreme heat wave in early September forced the majority of plants into dormancy. To compound the tight supply caused by the early end to the Washington crop, weather events related to El Niño have resulted in historically low yields in Peru, Argentina, and Chile, leaving the global market short on the household favorite.

In a normal year we are able to cover the gap in California production until our partner Forbidden Fruit Orchard’s fruit ripens. In their unique Central Coastal microclimate, blueberries ripen in late October or early November, earlier than anywhere else in California. While we wait for their fruit to become abundant, we are bringing in all the blueberries we can, provided that they meet our rigorous quality standards. We never compromise on supply chain transparency, fair labor practices, or taste; and we prioritize local sourcing whenever possible.

While blueberries are limited in availability, we are seeing a bounty of other incredible California-grown fruit. Right now, we are all loving Frog Hollow’s warren pears, Stan Devoto’s dry-farmed apples, Cliff McFarlin’s fuyu persimmons and hayward kiwis, Jack at Stepladder’s passionfruit, and keitt mangoes from the good folks at Corona-College Heights.