Compare prices for fresh blueberries.
Fresh blueberries sold in Edmonton retail stores travel through a complex, multi-origin global supply chain before reaching the shelf. Domestically, British Columbia produces 96% of Canadian highbush blueberries, and Canada ranks among the top ten largest producers of highbush blueberries globally. The BC harvest runs primarily from July through September, providing Edmonton retailers with a relatively proximate source of fresh product during that window.
Outside of the domestic season, Canadian retailers depend heavily on imports. Imports follow a clear seasonal pattern: Mexico supplies the most blueberries between February and May, while Peru dominates from September through February. Peru is able to supply blueberries year-round due to conditions on its coast and mountains that allow for continuous harvest, making it the main supplier of fresh blueberries to key North American markets. This seasonal handoff between origins is the backbone of year-round availability in Edmonton stores.
Price impact: The transition between origins creates price volatility. When supply from one region trails off before the next comes online, or when a harvest underperforms, Edmonton retail prices rise. Inconsistencies in end pricing at retail remain a concern; supply levels matter, but retailer pricing decisions can disconnect from actual supply conditions.
Fresh blueberries imported into Canada from Peru, Chile, and Mexico typically enter through US West Coast ports before moving northward, or arrive directly via Vancouver. This routing exposes the supply chain to port-level disruptions. Blueberry prices surged in late 2024 when a US port strike severely impacted shipments at the same time that anticipated Peruvian volumes failed to materialize, pushing prices to record highs.
Air freight, essential for transporting perishable berries from Chile and Peru to North American markets, saw rates spike by nearly 50% in early 2024 due to reduced cargo capacity and heightened fuel surcharges, with even minor delays risking unsellable shipments and raising effective prices. Port congestion at major West Coast hubs delayed imports by days or even weeks, forcing retailers to rely more on domestic sources during peak seasons and further tightening supply.
Price impact: Port disruptions and air freight rate increases feed directly into the landed cost of blueberries in Canada. These events are irregular and difficult to predict but can produce sharp, short-term price spikes at retail.
Once blueberries reach Canadian territory, they move through a temperature-controlled logistics network before arriving in Edmonton. The quality of blueberries can be negatively affected by deviations in temperature, and previous studies have identified weaknesses such as temperature variations at numerous steps along the food cold chain, including pre-cooling, loading and road transportation, and storage at retailers.
Edmonton, located approximately 1,200 km from Vancouver, is served by national cold chain operators running refrigerated transport corridors between BC and Alberta. Western Canadian cold chain facilities provide streamlined connections between Alberta, British Columbia, and the Pacific Northwest US, including export and import support through the Port of Vancouver.
Transport Canada projected a shortfall of 10,000 drivers in 2025 for specialized refrigerated transport lanes across Canada. This driver shortage adds cost and scheduling pressure to inbound fresh produce movements into Alberta.
Price impact: Refrigerated transportation over long distances is a meaningful cost component. Edmonton's inland position means it bears a higher per-unit freight cost than markets closer to port entry points. Labour shortages in the reefer trucking sector add upward pressure on those freight rates.
The global blueberry industry has expanded rapidly. Global blueberry supply is expanding and diversifying, with exports exceeding forecasts and new origins including Morocco reshaping competition. Peru leads, while Canada is stabilizing and South America is embracing varietal innovation. Growing global supply has generally worked to moderate prices over time, though market fragility remains.
However, the blueberry market remains fragile: shortages lead to high prices that the market is willing to pay, while surpluses are quickly used by retailers to push prices down, sometimes beyond what is strictly necessary. This retailer behaviour means price transmission is asymmetric — consumers feel high prices during shortfalls, but do not always benefit proportionally during periods of abundance.
The Peruvian supply trajectory is a key variable. By the end of 2025, Peru's blueberry exports were projected to exceed 400,000 metric tons, up approximately 25% year on year, while export value was expected to grow by only 8–13%, reflecting the combined effects of oversupply and declining per-unit prices. Lower wholesale prices do not always translate to equivalent retail reductions, particularly at the end of a long supply chain serving an inland market like Edmonton.
Because Canada sources blueberries priced in US dollars for most of the year, the Canada-US exchange rate is a persistent pricing lever. The weak Canadian dollar directly raises the retail cost of imported blueberries: a box priced at USD $24 translates to approximately CAD $34, forcing higher retails in stores and slowing consumer movement of the product.
The Bank of Canada identified import costs as the main driver of food inflation in 2025, with prices for imported food beginning to rise early in the year partly due to the significant depreciation of the Canadian dollar in late 2024. The weakening of the Canadian dollar against the US dollar reduces the buying power of Canadian importers.
Price impact: Currency depreciation is a systemic cost-driver for imported fresh produce. For Edmonton retailers sourcing blueberries from South America or the US for most of the calendar year, a weaker loonie is a direct margin and pricing pressure that has no easy offset.
The retail price of blueberries in Edmonton is shaped by the following compounding factors: