Wild blueberries are the most important fruit crop in New Brunswick.
These unique berries are grown naturally and only in the acidic soils of Atlantic Canada, Quebec and Maine. What does that mean for New Brunswick’s wild blueberry producers? It means a sustainable industry offering plenty of growth opportunities for our current and future producers.
Today, we have nearly 200 producers across the province. And in 2021 alone, these producers supplied approximately 20% of the global production of wild blueberries. That’s 20% of all wild blueberries in the world coming from right here, in New Brunswick. This is an industry that produces, packages and sells 50 million pounds of berries each year across Atlantic Canada and to over 30 countries world-wide, including the United States, Japan and Germany.
But the opportunities for the wild blueberry industry don’t end there. Since this superfruit can be consumed fresh and frozen, producers can sell product year-round, not only during peak season in late-July, August and September.
And speaking of the flexibility of the berries, wild blueberries have been known to become the star ingredient for many incredible products like wines, beers, salsas, vinaigrettes and of course, endless baked goods and other tasty recipes.
Just a few more reasons to celebrate the mighty New Brunswick Wild Blueberry:
- Wild blueberry producers depend on bees to pollinate their crop – billions of bees help with this process each year
- Fresh wild blueberries are harvested in late-July and August, but frozen berries are available year-round
- Wild blueberries contain twice the antioxidants of cultivated blueberries and contribute to the prevention of diseases like cancer and diabetes
- Indigenous peoples have eaten wild blueberries for thousands of years and they introduced them to European settlers in the 1600s
- Growers are very dedicated to the end result – it takes two years for growers to produce a crop of wild blueberries that we can enjoy
- A wild blueberry field can contain hundreds of varieties of berries, each with a slightly different taste