When you're at your local market or grocery store, eager to get your hands on some delicious blueberries, knowing what to look for can make all the difference to your culinary experience. The key to truly enjoying these superfood powerhouses lies in selecting berries at their peak.

First and foremost, visual appeal is a great indicator. You want to see blueberries that are wonderfully plump and juicy, practically bursting with goodness. Give the punnet a gentle shake; the berries should move freely and not be clumpy, which can be a sign of damage or spoilage. Next, pay close attention to the color. The ideal blueberry will boast a deep, rich blue hue. Avoid any berries with reddish or greenish tints, as this indicates they haven't fully ripened.

Perhaps the most fascinating characteristic to look for is the 'silvery' bloom on the skin. This delicate, powdery coating is completely natural and harmless – in fact, it's a sign of a fresh, healthy blueberry that hasn't been overhandled. Think of it as nature's own protective layer, preserving the berry's quality. While some might mistake it for dust or residue, it's actually called an epicuticular wax and indicates the berry's freshness and proper handling.

It's also important to remember that, unlike some other fruits, blueberries are ready ripened when you buy them. This means there's no need to let them sit on your counter for a few days hoping they'll sweeten up. The color, plumpness, and the presence of that beautiful bloom are all indicators that the blueberries are perfect for immediate consumption. Enjoy them straight from the punnet, in your morning muesli, or as a vibrant addition to your favorite desserts!

At Africa Harvest Exporters, we offer a flexible range of blueberry punnet formats to suit diverse retail and wholesale channels across the EU and UK. All packaging options are ventilated and optimized for cold chain transit.

Available Formats:

125g punnets – Standard EU/UK retail format; ideal for supermarket shelves and price-point stability.

Carton Count:  12 / 16 

150g punnets – Preferred for premium lines and boutique presentations.

  Carton Count: 12 / 16 

200g punnets – Suitable for bulk retail, club stores, and multi-pack configurations.

   Carton Count:   8 / 12

All blueberry punnets exported by Africa Harvest Exporters are labeled by the grower at source, featuring their registered farm brand, cultivar name, and traceability code. This ensures full transparency across the supply chain, from orchard to shelf. Each punnet reflects the farmer’s identity and compliance status, supporting both origin integrity and audit readiness for EU/UK market standards

Southern Highbush:

  Southern Highbush cultivars form the cornerstone of South Africa's thriving blueberry industry, constituting the most widely planted and strategically important type for both domestic supply and international export. Their widespread adoption is primarily due to their remarkable adaptability to the country's diverse and often mild winter climates, as many varieties within this group have significantly lower chilling requirements compared to their Northern Highbush relatives. This crucial characteristic enables commercial production in warmer regions of South Africa that would otherwise be unsuitable for blueberries, effectively extending the growing season and increasing overall yield potential. Furthermore, a substantial number of the newer, highly sought-after proprietary varieties emerging from leading global breeding programs are rooted in Southern Highbush genetics. These advanced cultivars are meticulously developed to offer superior fruit quality, focusing on attributes critically important for the demanding export market, such as enhanced taste profiles, exceptional firmness, increased berry size, and significantly extended shelf life,   

  Northern Highbush:

  Northern Highbush varieties, though historically associated with cooler climates demanding more chilling hours, nonetheless contribute to the diversity of South Africa's burgeoning blueberry industry. While the primary focus for expanded commercial cultivation often lies with low-chill Southern Highbush types to suit warmer regions, certain Northern Highbush cultivars are strategically planted in specific South African areas that experience genuinely colder winters, such as parts of the Western Cape or high-altitude regions. In these more temperate zones, these varieties can receive their necessary chilling accumulation, allowing them to break dormancy effectively and produce a harvest. Their inclusion, albeit in smaller volumes compared to their Southern Highbush counterparts, broadens the range of ripening windows and fruit characteristics available to South African growers, providing specific flavor profiles and textures that cater to niche market preferences or extend the overall domestic and export supply season in a more specialized capacity.  

  When selecting the perfect strawberries, prioritize shiny, bright berries with a vibrant red color, which, while varying by season, should be consistent across the fruit. Crucially, examine the calyx—the leaves at the top of the stem—ensuring they possess a fresh green glow, a clear indicator of recent harvest and vitality. You can be confident that our strawberries are ready ripened at the point of purchase, guaranteeing immediate enjoyment of their peak sweetness and flavor.  

At Africa Harvest Exporters, our strawberry punnets are engineered for EU and UK retail and wholesale channels. Each ventilated pack is optimized for cold chain transit to deliver peak quality and freshness.

  Available Formats:  

250 g punnet Standard EU/UK retail format; ideal for supermarket shelves and stable price points.

  Carton Count: 12

500 g punnet Designed for value packs, club stores, and bulk retail offerings.

   Carton Count: 12

  All strawberry punnets exported by Africa Harvest Exporters are labeled by the grower at source, featuring their registered farm brand, cultivar name, and traceability code. This ensures full transparency across the supply chain, from orchard to shelf. Each punnet reflects the farmer’s identity and compliance status, supporting both origin integrity and audit readiness for EU/UK market standards  

  Day-Neutral Varieties:

  Day-Neutral strawberry varieties are exceptionally favored within South Africa's export-oriented strawberry industry, holding a strategic advantage due to their remarkable ability to produce fruit continuously and prolifically throughout the entire growing season, irrespective of fluctuations in day length. This unique characteristic empowers South African growers to significantly extend their harvest window, moving beyond the limitations of traditional seasonal production. Consequently, they can consistently supply premium quality strawberries to lucrative international markets, particularly during the crucial periods when other major strawberry-producing regions in the Northern Hemisphere are either out of season, relying on more costly and energy-intensive greenhouse production, or facing limited availability. This continuous fruiting capability not only maximizes yield potential for South African producers but also enhances their competitiveness and reliability as a consistent supplier of fresh, high-quality strawberries on the global stage.  

Short-Day Varieties (June-bearing):

  While the ascendancy of "day-neutral" varieties has fundamentally reshaped the South African strawberry industry by enabling extended harvest seasons and continuous supply, traditional short-day varieties, often referred to as "June-bearing," nonetheless maintain a valuable, albeit more specialized, role. These cultivars remain significant, particularly in specific South African regions that experience genuinely colder winters, providing the necessary chilling hours essential for their dormancy break and subsequent prolific fruit production. Unlike their day-neutral counterparts, short-day varieties typically yield a concentrated, high-volume crop over a shorter, more intense period, usually from late spring into early summer. Furthermore, the South African industry has historically invested in and continues to develop its own locally bred varieties within this group, carefully adapting them to local climatic conditions and market preferences, ensuring a diverse and robust offering alongside the more modern day-neutral selections.