Blueberry volumes lead a week of measured changes

Total berries dipped slightly in revenue this week, though volume managed a modest lift, reflecting a category that’s steady but feeling a few seasonal bumps. With crops in transition, it’s a classic early-summer balancing act. Strawberries held firm with a small uplift in volume and a gentle rise in revenue. The quieter patch between Queensland and the southern states is still playing out, but consistent trickles from all regions are helping keep the market stable.

Blueberries enjoyed a brighter week, posting solid volume growth and holding revenue close to even. Early rabbiteye supply is beginning to build, and while it’s still the warm-up phase, the increase is enough to give the category some welcome momentum in the lead up to the holiday period.

Raspberries took a clear step back, with both revenue and volume easing sharply. This is largely due to a combination of extremely warm conditions in key growing regions and reduced picker availability, as many workers shift to other local crops.

Blackberries softened slightly, drifting lower in revenue and holding mostly flat in volume. The season is still in its early climb, and although this week was quieter, fruit continues to present well and is expected to strengthen as summer builds.

Blueberries
Coffs Coast – We are now seeing industry volumes rise quickly as the rabbiteye season takes hold in the Coffs region. Retail is supporting this uplift by ranging larger 300g and 500g pack sizes, helping move the increased supply. We expect volumes to continue building rapidly now in the lead up to Christmas, which is typical for the rabbiteye season, with a peak anticipated in the final week of December before beginning its downward trend.

Early December weather in the region will feature mostly sunny and pleasant days, with nighttime temperatures in the mid-teens and daytime highs reaching the high twenties to low thirties. Intermittent afternoon thunderstorms and showers are expected on December 1, 7, and 8, while the remainder of the period remains largely dry and sunny, with breezy conditions at times.

Northern Rivers

The Northern Rivers blueberry season is now nearing completion, with only a few final picks remaining before harvest wraps up. From December 1 to 8, the region will be very hot and mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-30s and extreme UV levels. Scattered afternoon thunderstorms are expected on December 7, with showers in parts of the region on December 8. South Australia – Despite being beyond the peak period, the region is still producing solid volumes, keeping both the Adelaide and Melbourne retail markets well supplied in the 125g and 170g lines.

From December 1 to 8, the region will see a mix of very hot and sunny conditions, breezy spells, and occasional cloud cover. Temperatures will range from 9° to 39°C, with extreme UV levels for most of the period and strong winds at times, particularly early in the week. Overall, it will be hot and mostly sunny.

Raspberries

Raspberry volumes in the Coffs region are declining due to recent challenges. A shortage of pickers has emerged as many shift to blueberries with the ramping up of the rabbiteye season. Recent hot weather has also created unsafe working conditions and increased on-farm wastage, resulting in quality issues such as soft or leaking fruit, burst drupelets, and infestations of fruit fly and larvae. While the weather outlook this week brings some relief from the heat, these quality issues are expected to persist through December. Early December in the region will feature mostly sunny and pleasant days, with nighttime temperatures in the mid-teens and daytime highs reaching the high twenties to low thirties. Intermittent afternoon thunderstorms and showers are expected on December 1, 7, and 8, while the remainder of the period remains largely dry and sunny, with breezy conditions at times.

Strawberries

East Coast: Supply has tightened on the East Coast, but demand is not expected to be strong, as the category faces competition from blueberries, stone fruit, and mangoes. West Coast: Supply on the West Coast remain strong and may possibly increase in volume over the coming weeks as weather temperatures in SW WA start to increase. so far quality from SW growers this season has remained very good