Today’s berry enthusiast is more discerning, curious, and demanding than ever before. You could almost say we had a hand in creating this new generation of berry lovers. Nuance, flavor, quality, shelf-life, and availability have all evolved as category leaders raise the bar to new heights to bring a better product to market. Harness a little—or a lot—of marketing prowess and an authentic vision for the future, and these trailblazers are growing the category in a new direction.
Responding in kind to this berry-buying bunch and offering a fresh vision and a strategic execution across the category are companies drawn to the challenges that lie at the doorstep of today’s changing consumer. Operations like Berry Fresh.
“Berry Fresh has truly grown in the last 10 years to better meet the needs of a changing world,” Vice President of Sales and Marketing Jyoti Bhogal shares with me. “A driving force for that growth has been the strength of the blueberry market and the demands of its consumers. We are blueberry growers at heart, founded and still led by blueberry growers. So, our team understands what it takes to bring a great-tasting blueberry to market, and it is one of our core strengths.”
What it takes to bring an amazing berry to fruition begins with having a strategy that keeps every aspect of the supply chain under lock and key. This deep commitment to growth and cultivating an even better eating experience for the berry patch begins at the root of Berry Fresh’s vision: where aspiration and science meet in genetics.
Focusing its growth with premium blueberry genetics like Sekoya Pop® and Beauty® has been key to providing great-tasting blueberries for Berry Fresh’s customers. This has allowed Berry Fresh to shape new expectations for the category and expand into growing premium blackberries and raspberries.
“Our Sweet Karoline® blackberries and Daniela® raspberries have been pivotal to our success with our customers. The difference in our program really comes down to our genetics. We are constantly striving to grow and market exceptional, flavor-forward varieties. Through strong exclusive breeding programs and genetic partnerships, we are building a portfolio that offers the consumer an unforgettable eating experience,” Jyoti reveals, displaying the entrepreneurial spirit that is also key to Berry Fresh’s success. “For example, our Sweet Karoline blackberries are truly a different type of berry when compared to other blackberries, they’ve changed how many consumers think of the fruit.”
Berry Fresh’s consistently sweet flavor helps bring new consumers into the blackberry category. This, in turn, benefits the team’s customers as well, who have expressed that they are seeing a lift in incremental sales with Sweet Karoline blackberries in their berry case.
“Flavor-forward, high-quality varieties are what drive new consumer interest in the category,” Jyoti adds. “Our team works hard to keep our customers happy and their berry category successful. Variety development is a huge part of this success.”
Berry Fresh’s customer relationships are a testament to that dedication.
“Our partners trust us and know we will be transparent and timely with our information, which is important in such a volatile crop. We are grateful for the partnerships we have today and are excited about the future growth we can share with them,” Jyoti reflects.
As a company, Berry Fresh was founded on an entrepreneurial spirit and has kept that central to the operation’s culture for the past decades. Running mean and lean, there aren’t multiple layers of management that each decision needs to pass through. Pivoting on a dime, the team can come together to discuss any change or challenge that arises and make decisions fast.
“The ability to be nimble, along with our spirit of ingenuity, allows us to keep our focus on constantly improving our genetics portfolio. Every year, we test new varieties for flavor, quality, and field viability. We want to not
only grow superior-tasting berries, but also make sure we can grow a consistent supply for our customers to meet ever-increasing demand. The key is balancing amazing flavor with a successful product on-shelf,” Jyoti reflects.
Leading the charge for Berry Fresh’s holistic and dedicated approach to evolving the berry category, Jyoti has been inspired all his life by the possibilities of fresh produce. Jyoti grew up in agriculture, working on his family’s grape and nut farm near Bakersfield, California. He studied Fruit Science and Viticulture at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and received his Masters in Viticulture at the University of California, Davis.
Having realized he liked the business side more, Jyoti started selling imported blueberries from Chile in 2001 for Giumarra Companies, when blues were still very seasonal, and the marketing to push blues hadn’t taken effect yet.
“I was fortunate to be on the ground floor when the blueberry craze began, and I learned a lot quickly. I worked my way up in the company until Berry Fresh scouted me for a sales leadership role,” he says.
Now, 17 years after joining the Berry Fresh team, Jyoti is looking to the horizon and beyond, planning the company’s vision for growth and excellence.
“Our team works hard to keep our customers happy and their berry category successful. Variety development is a huge part of this success.”
- Jyoti Bhogal, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Berry Fresh
“I’ve said it before, and I will hang my hat on it: The future is premium genetics. They will be the barrier to entry for the category moving forward—if not already. Consumers don’t just want any berry; they are more educated than ever and are looking for that superior flavor. We are constantly looking for better-eating berries to trial and grow,” he explains.
While changing the very experience of a blueberry is an important tenet for Berry Fresh, Jyoti also tells me that we must not avoid another essential ingredient in the company’s long-term strategy for success: sustainability.
“With consumers demanding more accountability, we can’t as a company afford to fall behind. We have already started down the path of bringing accountability to our supply chain and better understanding how we can make positive impacts on our growing regions, but continued improvement of our impact on the environment is a key component of our company’s future vision,” he explains.
Additionally, Berry Fresh has been focusing on organizing its company around growth by efficiency. With some key leadership changes and new talent, there’s a lot of energy in the company to keep being better.
“We’ve expanded our growing operations by around 50 percent in the last five years alone, so that takes a lot of talented people to manage that growth. To help with that, we like to run with that entrepreneurial mindset where we make sure team members feel supported and empowered to do what’s best for the company,” Jyoti discusses.
Bottom line? This group of resourceful berry enthusiasts is as much the target consumer as a harbinger of the better berry. This undeniable chemistry has kept the team strong, innovative, and resilient. And it has made them a family.
“Berry Fresh was built by its employees, and there’s very little turnover. Much of our leadership has been with the company since its founding; everyone here is passionate about bringing the best genetics to our customers. As growers, we focus on the product first and strive to bring unique and delicious varieties to market as much as the natural growing cycle allows. By bringing better genetics to market, we’re also benefiting our customers, and our customers are central to our growth,” Jyoti details. “This focus on being the best partner for our customers resonates with our customer service and quality. Through strong customer relationships, a talented team, and unique, flavor-forward genetics, we’re excited about our place in the future of the berry category.”
Planting an idea and witnessing it grow is one thing. Cultivating its every need with forethought, innovation, and entrepreneurship is another entirely. At Berry Fresh, that fruitful idea is now its evolution.
