By
Christine Morris
Assistant Editor
Growing conditions and
continued interest in blueberries will help the West Coast surpass
the rest of the nation in producing the fruit, said Roger Pepperl,
marketing director at Stemilt Growers, located in Wenatchee, Wash.
“I’m from Michigan, and I’m very aware of the potential
of blueberries,” he said. “I pushed some people to get
involved here.”
Pepperl was involved in starting a blueberry packing line for Stemilt
Growers in 2003. Stemilt also packs apples, pears, stone fruit and
cherries. It is the world’s largest producer of cherries.
Blueberries and cherries should be a good match because the time frame
for the fruits is similar, Pepperl said. They have similar health
benefits such as antioxidants; both fit in the same advertising periods;
and both are booming products in the produce industry.
Stemilt’s blueberry packing line is equipped with auto filler,
auto labeling and auto weighing. The blueberries are packed into 1-pint
clamshells and 12 clamshells get packed into each Euro box.
Packing in Washington makes sense because there’s an advantage
to growing on the West Coast because of the climate and variability
in altitude, Pepperl said.
“We grow most of our products in an arid environment,”
he said. “It’s an advantage because we control the amount
of irrigation so crop damage due to water and humidity is low.”
Michigan can get between 30 inches to 40 inches of rain every year
compared to the 8 inches or 9 inches of annual rainfall in the Wenatchee
area.
There also are sunny days and cool nights in Washington, with the
temperature swinging 25 degrees.
Compared to traditional growing areas, Pepperl said he can grow early
and late varieties, but the late varieties can be delayed if they
are planted in a higher altitude, lengthening the growing season.
“We can have a marketable crop at all different time tables,”
he said.
To expand the time table even further, Stemilt also is moving south
into California to increase crop availability and market share.
The biggest challenge Stemilt faces is controlling the pH level of
the soil.
“There was a learning curve for planting and soil amending was
the biggest issue,” he said. “We have a higher pH than
traditional growing areas, but if we get our soil amended where the
pH is low enough, our production is very high out here.”
Pepperl said Stemilt is now able to control the pH level in the soil
and anticipate yields of 8 tons to 10 tons of blueberries per acre.
The majority of the blueberries packed are company owned. There are
a select few growers in the company and a select few growers outside
that are linked to the company, so the acreage is small right now.
But Pepperl is convinced it’s only a matter of time before Stemilt
and the West Coast produce more blueberries than any other region
in the country.
“Look at where blueberries are sold: the Midwest and Northeast.
The West Coast already sells a lot and is catching up with those areas.
And you’re going to see blueberry consumption on the west coast
increase,” he said.
Kyle Mathison, a Stemilt owner and premiere horticulturist, is managing
blueberry growth to make sure sufficient progress is being made.
“He’s one of the most advanced cherry growers in the world,
and he is going to be our lead person in blueberry production,”
Pepperl said. “We see his vision in horticulture technology
is going to change the blueberry industry on the West Coast.”
