We've Moved!

Happy new year from the Blueberry Guy!

All of the great Blueberry Food Tech and Export Content has moved to my online Library and FoodTech Center!

http://blueberrytech.org/blog/

All of the interesting content from past posts has been moved so no worry!

While you are at the BlueberryTech -- make sure to check out the new sections including new product reports, and tech information abstracts.  Our Global Food Tech team is working to upload decades of work - so drop in and enjoy.

Thanks and happy new year!

Tom Payne, the Blueberry Guy  (A rate sighting in a coat and tie)

Blueberries by the Spoonful

Here is an interesting way to explain ingredients in a baby food.   Heinz Australia launched recently Watties for Baby.  Check out the back of the pouch.  

"Wattie's for Baby Berry Nice Pear Smoothie comprises four tablespoons of pear puree, one tablespoon of blueberries, one tablespoon of Greek style Yoghurt, half a tablespoon of rolled oats and half a teaspoon of strawberry puree."

Note the big jump in blueberry baby foods in Asia.   

Asian Breakfast Cereals with Dried Blueberries

Thai consumers love the color blue!  First with Ice creams and now cereals!

Breakfast Cereals with blueberries are on the rise in Asia.  Dried blueberries are inclusions  and also extruded into cereal flakes as shown in this innovative cereal from Taiwan. 

Look closely and you can see the dried blueberry extruded into the cereal matrix.   

Here is a newly launched cereal from Kellogg's in Japan which touts 1/2 weight of the total is dried fruit!   Half of the dried fruit is blueberry!

Notice the amount of detailed health information listed on the pack including charts, graphs and other information on digestion and gut health.

The cereal health trend has spread to China as well.  Imported products such as Quaker are transitioning to local production.  Dried blueberries and almonds are recognized healthy ingredients.

The cereal box is interesting reading with lots of detail on specific ingredients and dietary benefits.

Here is a new one called Crunchy Monkey!  Lots of dried blueberries!

Culinary Education in Vietnam

Frozen blueberries from the USA are now available to hotels and restaurants all over Vietnam.  Here a future professional bartender concocts a creative blueberry cocktail!

With the boom in the hotel and restaurant business in Southeast Asia, skilled chefs, baristas and bartenders are in demand.  This month USHBC worked with a local culinary school in Ho Chi Minh City to sponsor and provide ingredients for a weekend bartender camp and competition.

Belly up to the bar and check out this exciting event.  Some ultra-creative blueberry uses.  These new blueberry converts will be in the workplace soon!

Of course, a blueberry volcano!

Selfie time with a blueberry mojito!

A blueberry and basil treat

A gin fizz with blueberries and floral décor

And the winner is..

Mr. Mohito!

Of course, our FoodTech Hana is busy working the crowd including this VIP from the press!

Wintertime Frozen Promotion - Taiwan!

Frozen polbag blueberries are promoted all over Taiwan this month at many of the 86 Carrefour stores,  The frozen sales had some unexpected challenges this year and our FoodTech Mandy and her team stepped in to re-charge the store and customer interest!  

Many are amazed to see how easy it is to make a smoothie at home!

Promoters lead the shoppers to the frozen case where they can buy all of the ingredients to make smoothies.

Good Morning Vietnam! Say Cheese & Coffee

Cheese & Coffee is a trendsetting coffee chain located in the major cities of Vietnam.  Vietnamese are passionate about good coffee, cheese and now -- blueberries!  (Note the construction crane on the upper left corner of this photo taken in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon)  They are everywhere!

Chilled coffee drinks with frozen blueberry is the draw!   Our super-charged Food Tech Hana provided 1 kg bags of frozen IQF blueberries as part of a USDA funded Quality Samples Program (QSP).  Cheese and Coffee research chefs developed a whole line of blueberry products including blueberry cheesecake, smoothies and Hana's favorite: "Chocoberry.   Trials led to production and that led to a new product category in Vietnam that is on the rise.

Take a number!  A Crowd lines up early to get a coffee & blueberry fix!

The excitement is building!  Note the Winter Cocoberry promotion poster!  The new line is especially popular with the young Vietnamese Café culture.   Winter time is still warm weather in Southern part of Vietnam and rainy too.  A refreshing chilled beverage is a must! Hana is getting calls from other chains, hotels and restaurants who want to try frozen blueberries!

Congratulations to Team Blueberry Vietnam!  Also, thanks to the USDA-Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS) for funding the initial frozen container of blueberries.  This has primed the pump and importers are following up with commercial orders to chase the demand!

Thrive with Blueberries

Here is the Kaiser Permanente billboard from 2014!