GUADALAJARA, Mexico — At the recent Aneberries trade fair, which brought together some 3,000 industry professionals from around the world, members of the global berry industry said they're watching the Trump administration's tariffs and trade deals closely.
Hortifrut, a vertically integrated company with its own commercial platforms as well as partnerships with growers including Naturipe, Michigan Blueberry Growers and Munger Farms, has a global presence in India, China, North America, Latin America, Europe and Africa.
The Packer sat down with Hector Lujan, CEO of Hortifrut, during Aneberries to learn if the administration's tariffs and trade moves have impacted the global company.
“It's starting to. Tariffs are an obstacle because they're taking value out of the whole supply chain and making it more difficult to bring something in that's very healthy to the American public. I think it can also lead to reduced consumption or availability because of economic pressure, but also because of affordability in the marketplace … and that's a concern for us,” says Lujan, who sees consumers being impacted most by tariffs on berries.
“I think the consumer loses out the most in the whole chain in terms of how we've secured product for the U.S. in North America. North America's food security is based on production domestically and imports,” he says.
Walk any U.S. supermarket's produce department and much of what's available is imported, Lujan says.
“The U.S. probably has one of the most diverse product offerings in the world. We can find most products year-round — very healthy products in the produce aisle,” he says. “And if we look at food as medicine, you're getting your medicine there at the produce section. And the affordability of trade has made that possible.
“I don't think we can produce berries year-round in the United States in the abundance that we need to and at the price point the consumer wants,” he adds.
Lujan says the U.S. berry industry has partnered with the rest of the world to ensure fresh product is available continuously and at an affordable price, and tariffs would upset this well-balanced supply chain.
Miguel Curiel, president of Aneberries (Mexico's National Association of Berry Exporters) and vice president and general manager at Driscoll's Mexico, agrees.
“If we continue to have a free trade without import tariffs, I can see the industry growing, because the consumer will continue demand at similar prices,” he says. “Now if there's a tariff, clearly, in the short term the growers and the supply side takes the bigger hit of that tariff. But in the mid-to-long-term, it is the consumer who takes the hit. There's no doubt about that. Yes, [tariffs] concern everybody, but the concern is more about uncertainty as to what rate will be applied.”
South American Season
“We're getting into the season in Peru, where the first tariffs might hit at 10% and then Chile, and that's a concern, because we're going to ship blueberries in September, October, November and December, when there's almost no blueberry production in the United States,” says Lujan.
He sees having the continuity and consistency of imported berry supplies that fill the gaps when the U.S. is not in production, as benefiting the entire fresh berry supply chain down to the consumer.
“Imports drive demand for domestic consumption as well, because you don't disengage from the consumer,” he says. “It's about driving that per capita consumption year-round.”
Curiel says Aneberries is committed to providing the North American market with the very best strawberries, raspberries and blackberries, and because of the perishability of those crops, the vast majority of them are sold within North America.
“The value that we deliver to consumers is freshness, as we're able to deliver those three products to the shelf within three days,” he says. “By day number four or five, the consumer has the product in their home, so that limits the regions that compete.”
Canada, the U.S. and Mexico's growing seasons for those berries also complement each other, he says.
“Blueberries are a different animal,” Curiel says. “They really compete on a world market. We're mainly in the U.S. market, but we're competing with fruit from Peru, Chile, Argentina, Morocco and even fruit from the United States and Canada almost at the same time. So, blueberries are very competitive and more of a world arena.”
Of tariffs, Curiel says the North American berry industry needs collaboration.
“I think we need to respect what each government is doing. The U.S. government is taking some actions, the Mexican government as well, and also Canada. It's a matter of what the rules of the game will be. Once that's settled, the industry will adapt,” he says.
USMCA: Renegotiation or Renewal?
The need for North American berry industry collaboration also took center stage at Aneberries, July 24, during a session titled: “Berries Without Borders — A Global and Comprehensive Approach From International Organizations.”
During the session, Kasey Cronquist, president of U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC), spoke to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which is up for its six-year review in July 2026, offering the three parties the opportunity to notify each other of their approval or opposition to renew the agreement in 2036.
“Come July of next year we will be paying attention to all the tea leaves — what's going to happen and what these three countries decide — whether or not it's going to be a full renegotiation of the agreement or a renewal of USMCA,” Cronquist said. “I think that's the stage that's been set.
“I think we're in good shape with what has been said by this administration and with our trading partners, as long as we remain in compliance as a category and as an industry, we should be able to maintain free access,” he continued. “But I also think this administration has been clear that they like to negotiate deals. Far be it for me to suggest what those deals would be and for what purposes, but I think it's really important that we're all working together to show the value that this part of our industry brings to the U.S. economy.”
Seeking to showcase the value of the blueberry industry, the USHBC recently published an economic impact report that highlights the imported value of blueberries to the U.S.
USHBC says the findings of the study show that blueberry growers and importers have a significant impact on the U.S. economy. Overall, says USHBC, the growers and importers of blueberries from Canada, Chile, Mexico, and Peru contribute nearly $9.1 billion in annual economic impact to the U.S. economy. Supported by both domestic growers and international import partners, the industry also creates and sustains 61,676 full-time equivalent jobs each year and generates $3.3 billion in labor income.
“Being able to tell that story and being able to explain to this administration what it is that this industry brings to the national economy, even if it's imported, is a really important page for us all to be on,” said Cronquist.
Cronquist said the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Chile and Peru need to find a way to all work together and find commonalities, so “there's no winners and no losers.”
“We know blueberries, which is true for all berries, is not an annual crop that's available year-round in the U.S., so we are dependent on imported product,” he said. “We can't provide all the berries the U.S. needs, and the U.S. consumer wants berries 365 days a year.”
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