Blueberry production in the UK has grown from a mere 281 tonnes in 2008 to 2,666 tonnes in 2018 – an increase of nearly 10 times with an even larger crop expected this year.
The British blueberry season is now in full swing and is thriving due to an 'excellent' growing season, according to growers.
Often overshadowed by the start of strawberry and raspberry seasons, many consumers aren’t aware of the blueberry season.
In the recent past, blueberries were a little known berry in the UK and the blueberries that were sold came from overseas.
As the popularity of the berry grew rapidly, growers started to plant blueberry bushes to meet the demand with home-grown fruit.
As a result, production has grown from 281 tonnes in 2008 to 2,666 tonnes in 2018, figures from British Summer Fruits shows.
Growers plant a range of varieties including Liberty, Last Call, Draper, Aurora, Duke and Top Shelf.
Since May last year, over £400m worth of British blueberries were sold in the UK with shoppers spending 10.5 percent more than in the previous year.
In total, 41,000 tonnes of blueberries were sold in the 52 weeks, an increase of 10 per cent compared to the 52 weeks up to 14th July 2018.
