In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), is joined by Bruce Popko, chief executive officer of Major League Pickleball. Popko discusses the growth of pickleball, the professional league that he leads, and why blueberries and pickleball belong on the same court together. The USHBC is thrilled to be one of the first sponsors of Major League Pickleball, joining some of the world’s largest and most recognizable brands in leveraging pickleball’s unique consumer reach.

“The cool part is that inherently you've got a fun fruit and we've got a fun experience. So smashing those together in meaningful ways… I think there's just a lot of fun to be had in the relationship.” - Bruce Popko

Topics covered include:

• An introduction to Popko.
• A description of the meteoric growth pickleball has experienced and the continued growth it’s expected to achieve.
• An explanation of how pickleball aligns with USHBC’s mission to make blueberries the world’s favorite fruit!

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. You’ll hear from Derrin Wheeler in Georgia, Brittany Lee in Florida, Matt Macrie in New Jersey, Pat Goin in Indiana, TJ Hafner in Oregon, Alan Schreiber in Washington, Jody McPherson in North Carolina and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on May 9, 2024.