Naturipe Farms has been a leading producer of berries since 1917 and has been an integral part of the category’s development over the past 106 years.

Naturipe first started as a marketing cooperative focusing on strawberries and has evolved into a vertically-integrated company owned by four separate growing organizations with an extensive network of growers cultivating blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and cranberries (and avocados, too!).

“What has remained consistent throughout our entire company history is our dedication to quality and service,” said Brian Vertrees, director of business development for Naturipe Farms.

Naturipe is the largest producer of organic blueberries in the world and has year-round production of organic blueberries from optimal growing regions in Peru, Chile, Mexico, Florida, California, Georgia, Oregon and Washington.

“We also offer organic strawberries, raspberries and cranberries,” Vertrees said. “[During] our peak seasons for California organic strawberries, our predominant variety is the Monterey, which is prized across the industry for its exceptional quality, flavor and firmness.”

New products join lineup

The company recently introduced a few new products, most notably its Mighty Reds, jumbo strawberries and Sweet Selections Blueberries and Blackberries, proprietary varieties that meet only the strictest quality specs for optimum consumer enjoyment.

“These berries are packed with the ideal flavor, sweetness and texture that consumers love,” Vertrees said. “Our Mighty Reds are so big you can’t even fit two of them in the palm of your hand. We also have increased production of our Greenhouse Grown Strawberries, which is a newer offering from Naturipe. These are grown in a controlled environment to produce consistently high quality berries.”

Also in 2024, Naturipe is excited to introduce a few new products from Naturipe Snacks to the market, set to revolutionize healthy breakfasts and snacking on the go.

The company is also expanding its organic raspberry program out of Mexico and is excited to see its proprietary variety, Centennial, continue to flourish.

“Increasing acreage across North and South America enables us to consistently supply consumers with quality, year-round organic blueberries and strawberries,” Vertrees said. “Overall, we now offer a greater volume and variety of products compared to five years ago, a trend we anticipate will continue as consumers increasingly prioritize the value of organics.”

Weather and cost challenges

Weather can always be a challenge, whether that be longer cold seasons that delay the start of the strawberry season in California or warmer weather that threatens blueberries in Florida. However, Naturipe was not seeing anything (at publication)to indicate that this or other factors would impact the quality or supply of our conventional and organic products.

“Additionally, the rising costs to produce organic berries is a constant challenge,” Vertrees said.

“From the cost of labor to hand-pick the crops, as well as field inputs, packaging, transportation—every step in the production of fresh organic berries has become more expensive. This continues to have widespread effects across the entire industry, leading to reduced production in some areas as growers struggle to meet the increasing costs to grow the crop. This is particularly true in the Pacific Northwest.”

"New era of berries"

Naturipe has declared 2024 as the start of a New Era of Berries, characterized by improved quality of berries, ramped-up innovation in breeding, growing, and packaging and continued top prioritization of sustainability throughout the business.

“We are very excited to continue bringing new innovations from our breeding programs to market,” Vertrees said. “Behind the scenes, our growers have been working on proprietary varieties that deliver unique characteristics like a larger berry size and an exceptional eating experience, all while maintaining the same excellent quality.”

Sustainability is also a key focus for the company across all aspects of operations and it brings that to life through Naturipe’s “Cultivate with Care” initiative, which is a commitment to operating the business in a way that minimizes environmental impact and simultaneously supports local and global communities.

“We have helped pioneer important packaging developments to reduce plastic, our growers continue to utilize sustainable farming practices in all areas of production, and we’re excited to continue our transition to renewable energy across our facilities,” Vertrees said.

Over the past year, Naturipe has implemented several strategic growth initiatives across various teams to expand its product offerings. For instance last summer, Matt Lyons joined the value-added team as director of business development and he is positively impacting the company’s expansion efforts, particularly in the foodservice, quick serve and retail sectors.

“On the fresh side, we welcomed John Johnston as director of premium products, where he has been focused on leveraging Naturipe’s grower and owner investments in proprietary genetics,” Vertrees said. “We also recently welcomed Ashley Finster to our team as our new vice president of marketing. She will lead Naturipe’s brand development, marketing, and communications.”

Looking ahead, the company anticipates the Naturipe brand will maintain its position as the fastest-growing brand of fresh berries, both conventional and organic.

“This is attributed to the ongoing investments made by our owners in new genetics, expanding production into new regions, and increasing acreage,” Vertrees said.