AI-Powered Solutions for Commercial Blueberry Harvesting & Quality Control

According to The International Blueberry Organization (IBO), global blueberry production reached approximately 2,050,000 metric tons in 2024, an increase of about 12.7% compared to 2023, which recorded 1,818.55 thousand metric tons. And demand continues to grow, driven by the fruit’s strong nutritional profile and palatable taste.

In addition to growing demand, producers also have an incentive to favor fresh berries, as these fetch much higher prices. But cultivating, harvesting, assessing and transporting these highly perishable and sensitive berries is a tough challenge. To minimize waste and maximize profit, companies need to develop sophisticated quality management and cutting-edge fruit quality control processes.

The Evolution of Quality Control in Blueberry Harvesting

The quality control of blueberry harvesting has evolved from traditional, manual inspection methods to advanced, technology-driven processes. Modern quality control incorporates automated sorting, computer vision, and data analytics, allowing for more precise assessments and effective decision-making.

Clarifruit, Edwards Deming’s Principles, and ISO Standards: A Unified Approach to Quality

Clarifruit’s innovative AI-powered platform for fresh produce quality control embodies the core principles of Edwards Deming and aligns with the ISO 9001 2015 standard.

Both ISO and Deming emphasize the importance of continual improvement, data-driven decision-making, and a systemic approach to quality management for any product or service. By automating quality assessments and providing real-time insights, Clarifruit empowers stakeholders across the supply chain to improve processes consistently. This enables companies to reduce human error and variability, resulting in higher-quality products that meet customer expectations. These are the outcomes Deming envisioned with his focus on quality as an integral, ongoing process.

ISO 9000 Standards in the Fresh Produce Supply Chain

ISO 9001:2015 promotes similar values, such as a process-driven approach, customer focus, and risk-based thinking. Clarifruit supports these standards by offering predictive analytics and objective quality data, helping organizations mitigate risks and make informed decisions.

• Customer Focus: Clarifruit ensures consistent, high-quality fruits and vegetables that guarantee customer satisfaction.
• Process Approach: The platform standardizes quality assessments across the supply chain, ensuring that each step in the process is optimized and interconnected.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: By providing accurate, AI-generated quality data, Clarifruit enables evidence-based decision-making that aligns with ISO’s emphasis on data.
• Continual Improvement (PDCA Cycle): Clarifruit offers ongoing insights and feedback, promoting continuous refinement of quality control practices.
• Risk-Based Thinking: With predictive analytics, Clarifruit helps companies anticipate and mitigate potential quality risks, reducing waste and variability.

Through these capabilities, Clarifruit enables process improvement across the supply chain, from producers to retailers.

Modern Quality Management: Key Solutions for Blueberry Producers & Retailers

Using Clarifruit, growers can identify the right time to harvest, and identify specific defects in their crop with a much higher degree of certainty.

For example, you might be able to spot insect damage with the naked eye. But it’s far more difficult to see the impact of a blueberry-specific pest such as the blueberry gall midge or the blueberry tip borer until it has spread. Another example is moisture. This could be a sign of good quality blueberries, but it could also be due to recent rainfall. And there’s no way for your human quality control (QC) inspectors to tell these two situations apart with surety.

But this is possible with Clarifruit’s computer vision technology, which provides a clear picture of product quality that’s always available, and always accurate. It also enables quality managers to segment their yield, and share information across the business, so that stakeholders know the quality of the fruit ahead of time.

How Our Customers Improve Blueberry Harvest Results

At Clarifruit, we work with many customers to improve the quality of fresh produce quality control, including blueberries. Our customers follow a similar journey: moving from a manual process of tracking blueberry quality control with pen and paper, to digitizing all of their data using the Clarifruit platform. Understanding that the timing of the harvest is essential for the quality of their yield, customers also use the platform to inspect pre-harvest as often as they need to. Because of the unique scalability and operational smoothness of the platform, inspectors can even inspect different sections of their fields in isolation, for a granular picture of their crop.

To do this, customers create different standards with the help of internal and external quality attributes such as color and Brix levels. Based on this, they can answer questions about optimal harvesting times. The same quality control standards can be used for each quality control checkpoint, whether that’s pre-harvest, during reception of the crop, or later on at the packing house and pre-shipping.

From Reactive Management to Proactive Quality Planning With Clarifruit

Clarifruit’s comprehensive capabilities extend beyond pre-harvest inspections. Our platform empowers businesses to maintain quality control at every stage of the blueberry production process. Whether it’s identifying specific defects, segmenting the yield, or ensuring consistent packaging, Clarifruit empowers stakeholders with the right data to make informed decisions. By leveraging our technology, businesses can not only enhance the quality of their blueberries but also streamline their operations, reducing the risk of rejections and increasing overall efficiency in a market that’s more dynamic than ever.

Want to discuss improving your digital processes between this year’s blueberry harvest and the next? Schedule a demo of the Clarifruit solution, or better yet – start for yourself immediately, for free.