About the BC Blueberry Council
Representing over 600+ growers of premium
quality highbush blueberries in British Columbia
Our Mission
To support our growers by enhancing the viability and strategic development of the blueberry industry through promotion, research, industry education and relationship building.
What We Do
Work collaboratively with growers, packers and processors to expand market opportunities for BC blueberries in Canada and abroad.
The road to market expansion hasn’t been easy.
Our challenges:
- The global production of blueberries has increased exponentially and with higher volumes of blueberries comes greater competition.
- Protectionist rhetoric, lack of universal standards on maximum residue levels and tariffs are big hurdles for our industry.
Our response:
- The Council has worked tirelessly to increase the market share of BC Blueberries in key foreign markets (e.g., Japan, China, India, Vietnam.)
- The Council works closely with our government officials to ensure growers’ interests are at the forefront of new trade deals, and with locals within new markets to ensure every opportunity is maximized.
How We Do It
Promotions
The Council works with our promotional partners to develop two annual campaigns focused on fresh and frozen blueberries and share the BC Blueberries Powered by Nature story through a variety of mediums like social media, local events, sponsorships, advertising and media partnerships.
Fresh Campaign
Runs every summer to create opportunities to raise awareness of the availability of fresh BC blueberries, their health benefits and diverse uses.
Frozen Campaign
Runs every fall and winter to raise awareness that BC blueberries are available year-round and are just as tasty and nutritious as fresh.
On-Farm Support & Food Safety
The Council supports growers in producing the safest and most nutritious berries through year-round services:
- Risk assessment to identify food safety gaps and priorities.
- Consultation on development and implementation of food safety plans.
- Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) support in meeting requirements.
- Safe Food for Canadians Act support in meeting requirements.
- Pre-audit preparation to ensure all requirements are met.
- Hard copies of the CanadaGAP manual and/or updated forms are provided during the farm visit.
Visit our information page on On-Farm Support here. For more information on Food Safety related services please contact Major Dhillon at 604 308 3143.
Funding Opportunities
The Council keeps a close eye on any funding opportunities and we share this information regularly in our bi-weekly email newsletters.
On-Farm Grower Liaison
Our grower liaison works with growers and municipality by-law offices on compliance issues and responds to complaints from the general public about farm operations (e.g. audible bird scare device noise). For more information on grower liaison services, please contact Major Dhillon at 604 308 3143.
Representing Grower Interests
The BC Blueberry Council advocates for members to all levels of government to minimize the burden on growers by ensuring access to affordable labour and a fair taxation system, opening up new markets, and reducing trade barriers. Here is what we are doing:
- Ensuring diverse crop protection tools remain available in Canada.
- Ensuring our BC blueberry industry's interests are at the forefront at all industry level decision making meetings and events.
- Seeking opportunities and bringing the latest research and development knowledge to members.
BY THE NUMBERS
BC is naturally big on the world blueberry scene.
With over 80 years of blueberry growing experience, British Columbia, Canada
is now one of the largest highbush blueberry suppliers in the world.
11000
Hectares of highbush blueberries are under cultivation in British Columbia
600+
Growers in 2019 produced 86,000 tonnes (over 190 million pounds) of blueberries
96%
BC produces 96% of Canadian highbush blueberries and Canada is one of the top ten largest producers of highbush blueberries
Learn more about what the BC Blueberry Council is doing to boost our economy.
Learn More
Powered by nature – Our story.
BC’s pure waters, clean air, rich soils and moderate climate create perfect growing conditions for blueberries. The British Columbia Blueberry Council represents more than 600 growers of premium quality highbush blueberries, producing an average of 165 million lbs annually. British Columbia is one of the largest highbush blueberry growing regions in the world, making blueberries Canada’s number one small fruit export. Every berry grown and harvested in BC brings natural energy and superfood health to recipes, tables, kitchens and berry snackers.