Frozen Blueberries (IQF Wild Lowbush & Cultivated Highbush)

Wild lowbush berries from Canada and cultivated highbush from Chile, Peru, Poland and the USA, IQF in cartons or bins

Frozen blueberries are two products that share a name. Wild lowbush blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium, with V. myrtilloides) are small, intensely coloured berries harvested from managed wild stands in Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and most of the Canadian wild crop is frozen straight after harvest; Quebec produced 42% of Canada's wild blueberries in 2023, New Brunswick 25% and Nova Scotia 21%. Cultivated highbush blueberries are larger berries from planted orchards in Chile, Peru, Poland and the USA, frozen from fruit graded out of the fresh pack or grown for processing. Buyers specify wild or cultivated, the berry size, IQF free-flow, colour, the share of green, red or soft berries, stems, leaves and other extraneous matter, and a Brix minimum, and Codex CXS 103-1981 is the international standard for quick frozen blueberries. There is no separate six-digit HS code: frozen blueberries fall in HS 0811.90 with other frozen fruit, and national tariffs split them further, such as EU CN 0811 90 70 for V. myrtilloides and V. angustifolium and US HTS 0811.90.20 for blueberries. Because 0811.90 mixes every frozen fruit without its own subheading, the 2024 UN Comtrade export declarations below cover the whole subheading, not blueberries alone: Canada USD 469 million and 196,000 MT (the USA took USD 275 million, Japan USD 41 million, Germany USD 27 million), Poland USD 311 million and 143,000 MT, Chile USD 263 million and 80,500 MT (the USA USD 118 million, Australia USD 41 million, Korea USD 24 million, Japan USD 18 million), the USA USD 218 million and 87,100 MT, and Peru USD 207 million and 81,300 MT. Average unit values across the subheading ran from about USD 2.17/kg (Poland) and 2.39/kg (Canada) to 3.26/kg (Chile).

The harvest calendar gives the trade two supply windows. Quebec's wild crop is harvested from late July to early September; Chile's blueberry season runs from November to March, and Peru's exports are concentrated in the second half of the year, with about 88% of annual export value between July and December. Frozen stock sells year-round from cold store, so offers state the crop year. Blueberries are eaten raw in smoothies, cereals and yoghurt, which makes the virus file part of the specification: frozen berries have been the vehicle in norovirus and hepatitis A outbreaks in Europe, and buyers ask for GlobalG.A.P. farm controls, a BRCGS or IFS certified freezing plant, lot testing by ISO 15216-1 where their policy requires it and residue results against the destination's MRLs. CBIL is a commodity brokerage company and brokers wild and cultivated frozen blueberries from freezers in Canada, Chile, Poland, Peru and the USA against the packer's specification, a certificate of analysis per lot, the health or phytosanitary certificates the destination requires, a certificate of origin and, on request, halal certification by a body the destination accepts. Product ships in 10 kg cartons, 400-500 kg bins and retail bags at -18 °C or colder in 40-ft high-cube reefers on FCA, FOB, CFR and CIF terms, priced per MT by type, grade, size and crop year. Send wild or cultivated, grade, size, pack, test requirements, volume and destination, and the enquiry is screened and worked against it.

Excluded origins are not offered, including product re-exported, blended or re-processed through a third country. Every lot moves with a certificate of origin naming the producing plant, mine or grower country, and nothing is quoted before the seller and loading point are known.