Blueberry market in Poland

In 2022, domestic growers produced over 55,000. tons of blue berries, and for 2023 production was already estimated at 67.5 thousand tons! Of all berries, only blueberry production is increasing. Declines are expected for strawberries, raspberries, currants and gooseberries (this trend has been visible for several years).
However, as in any fruit production, growers also encounter a number of obstacles in blueberry production. Mainly they are:
• high labor costs;
• shortage of employees;
• limited possibilities of fruit management;
• overproduction in some years and, consequently,
• low sales price, which does not cover production costs.

Fortunately, blueberries are still a desirable product on the market. Kantar's research conducted for several years shows that the demand for blueberries is growing. In 2020, 45% of the population ate blueberries, while in 2023 it was 56% of Poles.

Distribution of berries

The first common sales channel for blueberries is the direct sale of dessert fruits, e.g. from farms (stands on the street near the plantation), pick-your-own (a self-harvesting system that is becoming more and more popular in Poland, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic), as well as the sale at markets or bazaars. A large percentage of dessert fruit production from domestic plantations is still sold through intermediaries, including: on wholesale markets. An increasing number of producers offer their fruit online (own store, sales platform), and those of lower quality go to processing. Still too small a percentage of fruit is resold by producer groups with supply contracts to discount stores, supermarkets and chain stores.