Few gateways, different import networks: this is how Peruvian blueberries are distributed at their destination

International trade and logistics

Few gateways, different import networks: this is how Peruvian blueberries are distributed at their destination

Maritime transport dominates shipments, and a few key points concentrate the entry of fruit into the United States, Europe, China, and the United Kingdom. However, the volume is not distributed evenly among importers: Europe has a more dispersed structure, while China and the United Kingdom concentrate nearly two-thirds of the fruit in three companies.

04/08/2026

In the campaign's progress, nearly nine out of ten tons of blueberry Peruvian goods are shipped by sea. In the United States and China, this method accounts for practically all shipments; in Europe it represents 94% and in the United Kingdom it is close to 90%.

Fruit also enters through a limited number of access points. Two points account for between 79% and 91% of the volume in the four markets analyzed: Philadelphia and Port Hueneme in the United States; Rotterdam and Vlissingen in Europe; Shanghai and Shenzhen in China; and Dover and London in the United Kingdom.

The difference emerges later. The concentration observed at the points of entry is not replicated with the same intensity among importing companies. Europe distributes the volume across a broader base; the United States occupies an intermediate position; while China and the United Kingdom account for nearly two-thirds of the fruit among their three main importers.

Concentration at entry points is high, but the distribution between importers and shipping lines varies by market. © Blueberries Consulting

Europe and the United Kingdom: few entries, different import concentration

Europe and the UK offer the clearest contrast. In both markets, two entry points channel 91% of the blueberry Peruvian. However, the subsequent distribution among importers is considerably different.

Europe accounts for 52 importing companies and has the lowest concentration among the four destinations analyzed. Its three main importers represent 30% of the volume. The fruit enters primarily through Rotterdam and Vlissingen, but is subsequently distributed among a wider range of companies.

In the UK, the report identifies 19 importers, with the top three accounting for 68% of the fruit. Direct Produce Supplies, which tops the list, alone represents 38%.

The difference is also evident in the market share of shipping companies. In Europe, Seatrade leads with 30%, followed by CMA CGM and Hapag-Lloyd, with 22% and 20%, respectively. In the United Kingdom, Seatrade accounts for 60% of the volume recorded by shipping operators.

Both markets, therefore, exhibit virtually identical levels of concentration at their entry points, but a very different distribution between importers and shipping companies. Europe shows a more distributed structure, while the British market concentrates a larger proportion of the volume in a few players.

Netherlands, Port of Rotterdam

The United States and China complete the comparison

The United States occupies an intermediate position. Philadelphia maintains a clear lead and, together with Port Hueneme, accounts for 79% of the volume. However, the distribution among importers is broader than in China and the United Kingdom: the report lists 49 companies, with the top three accounting for 42%.

In maritime transport, Seaboard accounts for 46% of the volume recorded by shipping companies. Its share is significant, although it remains below an absolute majority.

China presents a different combination. Shanghai and Shenzhen handle 90% of the fruit, while its three main importers account for 66% of the volume, comprising 27 companies. This concentration at the entry points coincides, in this case, with a high market share held by the main importers.

The distribution among shipping companies is more balanced. COSCO leads with 21%, followed by CMA CGM with 19%, while Evergreen, Wan Hai, and Orient Overseas Container Line hold smaller shares. In the analyzed data, import concentration thus coexists with a broader distribution among maritime operators.

The entry point only explains part of the market

The comparison shows that the volume exported and the point of entry for the fruit are not enough to describe the structure of a destination. It is also necessary to observe how many companies participate in imports, what proportion the largest companies control, and how transport is distributed among shipping lines.

Europe and the United Kingdom exemplify this difference. Together, they channel more than 90% of the blueberry Peruvian goods enter through two points of entry, but the volume is distributed very differently among its importers. The United States falls between these two scenarios, while China combines a high concentration of importers with a more distributed shipping share.

For exporters and stakeholders in the supply chain, this analysis allows them to distinguish markets that may appear similar when considering only their entry routes. The physical concentration of the fruit does not, in itself, determine the number of companies involved in its import or the influence of the main shipping operators.

The predominance of maritime transport and the concentration of access points are common features in the main destinations of blueberry Peruvian. What changes is the way the volume is distributed between importers and shipping companies once it reaches its destination.

Source: SENASA and Customs-Qeneto. Prepared by: Proarándanos. The general export indicators and means of transport correspond to the latest available progress of the campaign; the information on importers, points of entry and shipping lines presents the update cutoff indicated in the report.

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