Berries: Wholesome, Great Tasting & Healthy

I often get asked about how the berry industry is fairing during these challenging economic times. Fortunately, I tell them I work in an industry that produces relatively cheap food, is healthy for you, and tastes great.

Berries are Relatively Cheap Food
Due to the tough economic times, consumers are preparing more meals at home instead of dining out. In fact according to an article printed in ThePacker, berry volume sales at grocery stores increased 20.2% in the first quarter of this year compared to all produce sales which were down 3%.

I recently received an email from a consumer confirming this trend. Here is what she had to say; “These difficult times have resulted in a lot of things. We used to go out to eat every Sunday after church. Well, we cannot afford that any more. We eat together at one of our homes each week. What a wonderful addition, these lovely fruit (Strawberries) made to our meal.” In a recent trip to Baskin Robbins, I spent $5.99 for four single scoops of ice cream for the family. This same $5.99 could have bought me 4 lbs. of strawberries at Costco. Yes, even I will admit, strawberries are not the same as ice cream, but your family would get more than one nights worth of dessert and you won’t feel guilty about feeding your family ice cream.

Berries are Healthy
There are numerous articles in trade publications that discuss the health benefits of berries. In fact, I wrote about this in a previous blog BerryGiant. Next, I typed in berry health on Google and here is the link that appeared at the top of the search, About. Needless to say, berries have many healthy benefits. They contain flavonoids, which may help prevent disease. They are high in Vitamin C and lutein which is important for healthy vision and they may help reduce some types of cancers.

Berries Taste Great
Most strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries taste great. Here is a recent email I received from a delighted strawberry consumer. “These are the best strawberries I have ever eaten. After finding them the first time, I returned to the store, to try to purchase again, but they were gone. Last night, my sister brought a box over for desert. We stood at the counter and almost ate the whole box before dinner was even on the table.” You would think she was talking about a box of Krispy Kreme donuts or something.

One last consumer email sums up the answer to the question of how the berry industry is doing during these tough economic times: “Clean, fresh, wholesome, and great tasting food (Berries), prepared at home is turning into the unexpected benefit of these difficult economic times.” The "unexpected benefit," I love that. I'm glad that I work in an industry that brings "unexpected benefits" to consumers, even if it does not beat a double scoop of mint chip ice cream at BR or a warm glazed Krispy Kreme donut. Or does it?