Koolberry’s 2024 Cranberry Season

As the leaves turn and the air cools, Koolberry enters one of the most exciting times of the year: cranberry harvest season. This year, we’re proud to announce that we’re harvesting 33 million pounds of cranberries from our partner farms in Princeville, Sainte-Seraphine, St-Rosaire and Sainte Clothide de Horton. With this impressive yield, we continue to provide top-quality cranberries for the dried fruit, juice, and sauce-making industries. Here’s a closer look at what makes this year’s harvest special.

A Diverse Range of Cranberry Varieties

At Koolberry, we focus on cultivating a diverse range of cranberry varieties to meet the needs of our customers. Our 2024 harvest includes well-known varieties like Stevens, Mullica Queen, Sundance, and Demoranville, among others. Each variety offers unique qualities in terms of size, colour, and flavour profile, making them ideal for different applications. The Stevens variety, for example, is prized for its deep red hue and is often used in cranberry sauce production, while the Mullica Queen and Sundance varieties are known for their larger berry size and are popular for sweetened and dried cranberries (DC).

Harvesting at the Peak of Perfection

Our cranberries are grown with care and precision across four partner farms in Quebec’s fertile agricultural regions of Princeville and Sainte-Seraphine. The harvest season begins in mid-September and continues through October, ensuring that each cranberry is picked at its peak ripeness for maximum flavour and freshness. Using the “wet harvest” method, which involves flooding the cranberry fields and using specialized equipment to gently knock the berries off the vines, we’re able to maintain the integrity of the fruit and achieve the highest quality standards.

From Field to Freezer: Preserving the Freshness

Once harvested, our cranberries are transported to our processing facilities, where they undergo a meticulous cleaning and sorting process. To ensure the best quality, we use slow-freezing technology that preserves the cranberries’ natural colour, shape, and nutritional value. By freezing the cranberries slowly, we lock in their flavour and texture, which allows them to be stored and distributed as needed throughout the year.

Our cranberries are then released for shipment starting in December, making them available for various market applications, including sweetened and dried cranberry (DC) production, the juicing market, and cranberry sauce making. This controlled release ensures that our clients receive fresh, high-quality cranberries year-round.

Meeting Market Demands Across the Globe

The versatility of our cranberry crop means that it can be utilized in multiple ways, meeting the diverse demands of global markets. Sweetened and dried cranberries are popular as a healthy snack or as an ingredient in cereals and baked goods, while our juicing market products are used in beverages ranging from cranberry cocktails to health drinks. Cranberry sauce, a staple during the holiday season, also remains a key product segment, showcasing the adaptability and high demand for our premium cranberries.

A Commitment to Quality and Excellence

At Koolberry, we are dedicated to delivering cranberries that meet the highest standards of quality and flavour. Our meticulous growing, harvesting, and freezing processes ensure that each cranberry retains its vibrant colour, natural sweetness, and nutritional benefits. With our diverse varieties and large-scale production, we’re well-positioned to supply the best cranberries to our partners and customers across the globe.

As we celebrate the successful 2024 harvest, we invite you to explore the unique flavours and possibilities that our cranberries offer. Whether it’s for juicing, sweetened and dried production, or creating classic cranberry sauces, Koolberry is your trusted partner.

For all your cranberry needs, contact: sales@mbglobalfoods.com