The berry trade spent this week talking about three things: a tariff, a weather report, and a trade show. Each one changes the math for frozen berry buyers, so here is the roundup you need.
First, the tariff story. The US Trade Representative announced import duties of up to 12.5 percent on goods from 60 countries, citing Section 301(b) of the Trade Act of 1974 over forced-labor concerns. Blueberry exporters in Chile, Peru, and Morocco face the full rate, while Canada and Mexico avoid it through their free trade agreements. Grower associations in all three countries are pushing back and diversifying markets; Chile’s blueberry exports actually rose 3 percent year on year in the 4Q25–1Q26 window even as fresh shipments to the US slid 13 percent. [Source: IBO via freshfruitportal.com, Aug 28, 2026]
Second, the weather report. Mexico’s strawberry export campaign came in 14 percent below last year, according to berry exporters’ association Aneberries, after off-pattern rainfall and cold spells cut both volume and grade. Planted area has also contracted from roughly 49,000 to 37,000 acres, and the peso’s run against the dollar squeezed returns further. [Source: Hortidaily via freshfruitportal.com, Aug 20, 2026]
Third, capacity is racing ahead of demand in Peru. Camposol inaugurated a new 1,000-square-meter facility in La Libertad that doubles finished-product storage from 48 to 92 FCL containers and raises daily shipping capacity from 15 to 30 containers. [Source: freshfruitportal.com, Aug 28, 2026]
Fourth, the industry is gathering. Asia Fruit Logistica 2026 opens September 2–4 in Hong Kong with more than 760 exhibitors from 41 countries, and its agenda includes a Frozen Fruit and Vegetable Forum plus a day focused on berries. [Source: freshfruitportal.com, Aug 27, 2026]
Fifth, demand keeps climbing. Rabobank analysts expect berry demand to keep growing despite broader economic uncertainty, which is another way of saying the supply side has to keep up. [Source: freshfruitportal.com, Aug 5, 2026]
What buyers tell us: conversations this week at WylFoods kept circling back to tariff exposure and sourcing flexibility. When trade rules move, the suppliers who planned for it — with diversified origins and documented cold chains — become the ones buyers call first. Follow our page for a weekly briefing like this one, and tell us in the comments which of these five stories matters most to your sourcing plan.
IBO via freshfruitportal.com (Aug 28, 2026); Hortidaily via freshfruitportal.com (Aug 20, 2026); freshfruitportal.com (Aug 27 & 28, 2026; Aug 5, 2026)
