Real Blueberries in Food Technology Weekly Newsletter

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A salute to the Nut Raj!

Gunjan Jain displays his dried blueberry packs at the Gulfoods Exposition 2017 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.   His products are sold throughout India and the entire region including the Middle East.

Gunjan Jain, (the Nut Raj) from India is an innovator in dried fruit and nut production, sales and marketing.  Two decades ago the action was in the dark always of the dried fruit markets or bazaars.  Gunjan is a fourth generation walnut grower and processor in the Jammu Kashmir state in the North of India.  He was encouraged by his grandfather to come to America -- as he did years ago to study dried fruit and nut marketing.  I was impressed when he called me out of the blue and then after three hours of public transit -- arrived at my office!   Gunjan's vision was to take the product to the consumer.  He developed delivery systems for ordering product via phone and e mail -- way before there was an internet.  Online sales followed.  He began servicing the newly developed grocery trade all over India.  (Grocery stores were not common 20 years ago).  He studied the health benefits of dried fruits and nuts and then began to use this valuable information on the pack and in advertising and media.  He also began marketing dried fruits and nuts to food processors, for baking, confectionery and snacks.   Foodservice and Ayurveda have followed.  

Gunjan was one of the first -- if not the first-- company in India to import dried blueberries from the USA!

Now -- Look at the latest development.   The Nut Lounge. A great place to sample dried blueberries too!

Blueberry Kitchen Vietnam

Welcome to Blueberry Kitchen Vietnam! 

Here is your host, Hana in Ho Chi Minh City.

Hana in Vietnam has initiated a You-Tube channel dedicated to sharing blueberry recipes!   Here is a starter with the production of a blueberry cake which she learned from her mother who ran a small cake shop in her small village.   Although Vietnamese have a rice based diet -- they also love baked goods and a strong cup of Vietnamese coffee!   After more than six decades of French rule after the 1880s -- they developed a passion for superb cakes and breads.

Enjoy:  Stay tuned for the video link.

Fresh Fruit Handling Seminar - China

Quindao - Xi'an Fresh Fruit Seminars

Although fresh blueberries from the USA are restricted for entry to China -- USHBC conducts activities to educate, engage and encourage blueberry consumption overall.   This month, we are participating with the USDA-FAS office in Beijing on educational seminars on produce handling in Quindao (Shandong Province) and Xi'an (Shaanxi) Province.

When you visit a grocery store of fruit market in China, you will notice wide differences in blueberry display and handling.  Typically, you will find a vast fresh product area and a small refrigerated area.  blueberries are often stacked from the floor in room temperature.   

Seminars will show practical information on how to protect your blueberry investment and also to get the freshest product for positive consumer experience.

Quindao Seminar

Fresh Fruit Handling Educational Workshop on November 29, 2017 0900-1400

美国大使馆农业贸易处果蔬培训

Ocean Ball Room, Intercontinental hotel in Qingdao

地点:青岛洲际酒店三层海洋厅I

时间：十一月二十九日

Xi'an Seminar

Fresh Fruit Handling Educational Workshop on December 1, 2017  0900-1400

美国大使馆农业贸易处果蔬培训

B1, Pearl Amber Crowne Meeting Room, Crowne Plaza Xi’an

地点: 西安皇冠假日酒店负一层珍珠琥珀厅

时间：十二月一日

Vietnam American Thanksgiving Foodservice Promotion

Happy Thanksgiving from Vietnam!

The New World Hotel Saigon USA promotion is in full swing!   Our "Blueberry Hana" has been scootering around Ho Chi Minh City for weeks to prepare and the event looks to be a big success.   Blueberries in desserts are a hit as well as entrees.   Although this is a 5-Star Hotel --it is a gathering place for locals looking for the latest dining trends.  

Dried and frozen blueberries are the emphasis.   Importers and distributors took notice and are urged to contact Vietnamese importers and suppliers of USA blueberries.   Customers are also craving fresh blueberries!

Action Photos:

Opening Ceremony:  Our Hana is second from the left

Salute to the USA with American Blueberries and Vietnam produced Strawberries

Vietnamese love sweets!

Ice cream station with dried blueberries for topping

The Ribbon Cutting

Thanks to the USDA Office of Agricultural Affairs - Ho Chi Minh City for organizing this and other events.  USHBC now is an active Cooperator in the Vietnam market and Blueberry Hana is on the move!

USDA Dried Fruit Expo in DC

USHBC participated in the first ever USDA Dried Fruit which brought together participants from the Agriculture Marketing Service and other divisions.  (November 16, 2017) This gave us an opportunity to explain dried blueberries to USDA Foods buyers for school lunches, emergency feeding and other channels.  

Itá Santa Catarina has the Blueberry Spirit!

Brazil is a huge country of more than 210 million population.   USHBC market development efforts have been warmly received by this health conscious nation.   New products with blueberries are on the rise and USA shippers are moving fresh blueberries during the Brazilian winter.  The further south you go in Brazil -- the cooler the temperatures.  Katia Miura, our in-country blueberry ambassador learned of a blueberry festival in the small town of Itá, in the State of Santa Catarina.   Itá, is in the middle of a German-Brazilian population region.  Locals love everything blueberry.   Santa Catarina is a small state but considered one of the richest in Brazil.

USHBC in-country FoodTech ambassador Katia Miura read about a blueberry festival being held at the start of the season in October.  She dashed down to Itá and participated in the festivities.
The warm welcome and enthusiasm for blueberries was amazing according to Katia.  Not only do they grow blueberries -- but they produce all sorts of great products.   We came away with a spirit of cooperation to help increase awareness for blueberries in Brazil!

Food Ingredients India Exposition - 2017

USHBC exhibited at the Food Ingredients India - FI Show November 9-11 in Mumbai!  USA Blueberries are on the move in India!

Agricuture Week - Kaohsiung

USHBC exhibited at the Taiwan Agriculture Week Exposition in South Taiwan city of Kaohsiung.

This opened the door to the food processing industries in the south.  Thanks to the USDA-FAS Agricultural Trade Office (ATO) who organized the US Pavilion.

At the venue, Blueberry Mandy gave a presentation on US Blueberries with an emphasis on fresh and further processed blueberries.

Team Blueberry and ATO Taipei

Mandy gives speech on US Highbush Blueberries to Seminar 

USHBC @ China FV

USHBC participated in the annual China Fruit and Vegetable Exposition, sponsored by the Chinese Government AQSQ.  (November 3-5, 2017, Beijing)  Although the USA is not allowed access for fresh blueberries, this exhibition allowed us face time with the AQSIQ and future customers such as importers distributors and wholesalers.  All are anxious about the upcoming China-USA (Plant Health) Technical Bilateral meetings which will be held December 4-7 in Sanya, Hainan Island, China.

USHBC booth traffic was brisk.   Yu-Ming (Mandy) Chen from Taiwan and Hong Fang (Julia) Zhu make a great tag team!

Here is the "office" of the AQSIQ at the exposition.   This is the government body which decides what products may or may not enter China.   Throughout the exposition, we met AQSIQ representatives and they had an opportunity to see the popularity of blueberries firsthand. 

The theme of the event and country at large is: "Belt and Road."  China is rapidly implementing plans to utilize the old Silk Road Routes through Central Asia to re-connect the ancient trade routes between  China, India, Europe and Africa.  Notice you do not see an arrow pointed to or from North America!

This was a professional-only exposition and visitors posed all sorts of questions about the blueberry industry, merchandising and especially wanted to know -- when will US Blueberries be available in China!

Fresh blueberries are available year round in China with local production and imports from Chile, Peru, (now) Mexico and British Columbia.    Even with all of these suppliers, importers and distributors seek US blueberries.

Chinese have long associated consumption of blueberries with improvement of eyesight.   Here is an advertisement from a major local producer and marketer which sends the message.

Everyone loves a mascot -- even n China!  

This little boy continually dragged mom to the blueberry booth a handful of dried blueberries.   L. Blueberry fan of the future, middle, Julia Zhu and R. Mom of Blueberry fan of the future.

China is a centrally planned economy, and this goes for agricultural development as well.

Oh My!  More Mascots!

Here is a map with the infamous 9-Dash line that delineates territorial claims in the South China Sea.   Dash # 10 includes Taiwan.

The China FV occurred about the same time as the National Congress of the Communist Party of China  which is held every five years.  This is a big big deal which decides the direction and leadership of the country for the future.  

Food Processing Magazine e-Book

USHBC reaches food product developers through the different trade magazines such as Food Technology, Dairy, Candy, Food Processing and others.   According to research (by publications) food processors do read magazines.  At the same time, all of the major publications are moving into online publications as well.   Here is a good example.  Food Processing has published a e-book with the topic: Superfruits.  When we learned of this publication, we immediately sponsored it.  The publication has blueberries dominant on each page and our Real Blueberries™.

Historic Thanksgiving Day Promotion in Vietnam

This is really a historic event for USA-Vietnam.   For the first time in 40 years--a major hotel chain will celebrate American Thanksgiving Day in Ho Chi Minh City, Socialist Republic of Vietnam.   The local USDA-FAS office organized an upcoming restaurant promotion with the New World Saigon Hotel in the bustling center of the town once referred to as Saigon.

Hana -- our "blue dynamo" in Vietnam worked with the USDA and Hotel on menus, promotional banners and materials along with several other cooperator groups.   Most importantly, we linked importers and suppliers with the Hotel buyers to ensure that blueberries were available.  

Chefs are busy preparing unique American products for restaurants at the hotel and will include dried and frozen blueberries.

Here are some details on the promotion:  Stay tuned for results.

Posters

Announcement mailer

Plans of media activities

Newsletter sent throughout the region

Table tents for restaurants

Happy Thanksgiving!