A 1989 Pledge Turned Berries Into a Year-Round Staple

Strawberries in January and raspberries that survive transit don't just happen; Julia Moskin at the New York Times argues they're largely the work of one company: Driscoll's. The $7 billion berry giant, born as a California family farm in 1904 and still controlled by family members, set an audacious goal in 1989—to sell strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries all year, everywhere. It succeeded, and has since turned fragile seasonal fruit into a global, branded staple. It now moves some four billion plastic clamshells across 60 countries a year and ranks behind only Coca-Cola in US supermarket brand revenue.

Moskin shows how Driscoll's shifted from growing berries to owning "the genetic material of its berries and the knowledge of how best to plant, pick, and transport them. It subcontracts with farmers around the world to grow those breeds according to its specifications, then handles sales and distribution after harvest." Growers keep as much as 80% of the revenue. The model has pushed berries to the top of US produce sales—blueberry sales have risen 8% annually for a decade, Moskin notes—and Driscoll's "quest for the perfect berry" isn't done. Moskin recounts a lab in which 210 raspberry varieties are being evaluated; two, if they're lucky, will end up on shelves. Read the full story for much more.