Canadian
Blueberries

The taste of nature

Canadian blueberries are harvested on sunny days in late summer and early fall. In British Columbia, Ontario, Québec and the Atlantic provinces, workers pick the sweetest fruits by hand for direct sale, the remaining berries are harvested mechanically and then frozen or processed.

After the USA, Canada is the world's second-largest producer and exporter of these delicious berries, which are a high-quality crop. These small blue fruits have always been appreciated and were particularly popular with the natives of Canada for centuries. Long before the Europeans arrived, they already knew how to smoke wild fruits as food for the winter or mix them with honey and cornmeal to make blueberry pudding. They also used blueberry syrup as a cough remedy. Today, there are both wild and cultivated Canadian blueberries — no other Canadian fruit has this unique characteristic.

© Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
© Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Low-growing and Tall Blueberries

Canada is the world's largest producer of “low-growing blueberries,” another name for wild blueberries, most of which are grown commercially in Québec and the Atlantic provinces. Native to eastern North America, these plants grow best on treeless or burnt soil. Wild blueberries are exceptional because they are not bred but grow on natural bushes with roots branching in the ground. Since the branches of blueberry bushes can form a widely branched system, this may result in a different appearance of the berries, but this does not change their delicious taste.

“Tall” blueberries are a cultivated development of wild plants that were bred in the first half of the 20th century. Most of these blueberries (93%) grow in British Columbia, but can also be found in Ontario, Québec and Nova Scotia. This type of blueberry is harvested earlier in the year than wild blueberries, is larger and has a longer shelf life, making it ideal for retail delivery. As a result, a large part of the high-growing harvest is sold fresh, while the low-growing blueberries are mostly processed or frozen.

Sweet Berries

Canadian blueberries are delicious in pancakes, pies, muffins, sauces and cakes, as well as in countless other foods. Their naturally fresh flavor is a wonderful addition to pork, chicken, or game meats, and chefs can make fantastic desserts from them in combination with almost any other fruit or berry.

Thanks to growing market demand, blueberries have been increasingly cultivated and processed over the last decade, both wild and cultivated varieties. This demand is based on ever increasing knowledge about the nutrients of these berries. Blueberries have a particularly high antioxidant content and are therefore of interest to health-conscious consumers. Blueberries also contain few calories, are high in fibre and nutrients, and may be beneficial to heart health as they appear to have anti-inflammatory effects and lower cholesterol.

© Wild blueberries from Canada
© Wild blueberries from Canada

A Pure, Natural Harvest

Canadian blueberries are grown under clean, health-friendly conditions and are grown by Canadian Federal Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) monitors, which ensures that classification, packaging and labeling requirements are met. Blueberries are delicate fruits that must be harvested with care to ensure optimum quality. Thanks to advances in processing, this goal can be achieved and they reach consumers in excellent condition.

© Wild blueberries from Canada
© Wild blueberries from Canada