The International Bilberry Organization (IBO) has announced an exciting and dynamic program for its upcoming summit. It reflects the truly global nature of the blueberry industry and its goal of making blueberries the world's favorite “super fruit”. The summit will be held in Lublin, Poland, July 3-6, 2023, and will include in-person visits to some of the largest blueberry farms in the world, where Poland's leading blueberry growers will share their experiences.
There will also be a focus on examining how production can be improved and consumption levels increased globally, while a major session dedicated to “Making blueberries the world's favorite superfruit” promises to to be a highlight. Poland is a good example of how to boost domestic consumption, with annual growth of 8 % over the past three years and a penetration rate exceeding 80 %. .
Daily program The first day of the summit will begin with a presentation of the IBO Global State of the Blueberry Industry Report. This report will be presented by Cort Brazelton, co-CEO of Fall Creek, and Colin Fain, CEO of Agronometrics, 2023, it will highlight current trends and the latest production and consumption data. The presentation will be followed by a panel discussion on the impact of disruptive production growth in some parts of the world on the future of the industry. The next session will be the “Local Spotlight” session, during which a panel will discuss what is happening in Poland, Ukraine and Turkey. Two of the major players in the global blueberry industry, Soren Bjorn, President of Driscoll's of the Americas, and Juan Ignacio Allende, CEO of Hortifrut, will provide valuable insight into what the future holds for the blueberry industry. blueberry. This discussion will then lead to several breakout sessions on the theme of innovation. “I am excited about the discussion between Soren Bjorn and Juan Ignacio Allende, who are two of the world's industry leaders, especially to hear their views on the future of the industry,” said Peter McPherson, President of the IBO.
The first day will end with a gala dinner not to be missed. “The 2023 OBI Summit promises to be an exciting event for the global blueberry community. This will be the first time in four years that the industry has been able to come together and directly share its collective knowledge to move this great industry forward and lead it to new successes,” McPherson said, Day two begins with the session “ Know your consumer”, with presentations by Felipe Silva of ZurGroup on the outlook for blueberry consumption around the world, and David Hughes, Emeritus Professor of Food Marketing at Imperial College London, who will talk about consumer preferences in the world. Our “Making blueberries the world's favorite superfruit” session will feature presentations on the most innovative promotional activities from around the world. It will be followed by a round table on best practices for promoting blueberries. To end the second day, Mario Steta, Director of EMEA Operations at Driscoll's of Europe, will discuss the “Sustainability Challenge”, followed by a presentation highlighting recent health research findings. On the third day, delegates will be able to visit three fantastic farms, including one of the largest organic blueberry farms in Europe. On the fourth day (July 6), another optional farm tour, this time the largest conventional blueberry farm in Europe, will depart from Warsaw. “Sponsorship offers are selling out quickly, and we are pleased with the response from industry wishing to contribute to the event,” said Dominika Kozarzewska of the summit's organizing committee. “Our team can be contacted at sponsors@ibosummit2023.com.”