Blueberries are bigger and tastier than they used to be, thanks to the work by plant breeders. Berries are also versatile, available fresh, frozen, canned, and dried. Photo by Scott Bauer, USDA Agricultural Research Service.

File photo of Blueberries.
Photo by Scott Bauer, USDA Agricultural Research Service.

Oregon Cherry Growers, a grower-owned cooperative based in Salem, Oregon, announced they have launched Stabilized Wild Blueberries for use in ice cream and other products.

Here’s their announcement:

Grower-owned cooperative Oregon Cherry Growers, known for perfecting the original maraschino cherry, continues its innovation streak with the launch of Stabilized Wild Blueberries. The fruit piece as a whole is now available for use in the dairy and baking industries as a value-add ingredient.

“We’ve received a great deal of interest from companies looking for a better way to include identifiable fruit – specifically blueberries – in ice cream, among other products,” said Tim Ramsey, Oregon Cherry Growers president and CEO. “Our research and development team is committed to creating innovative new products for our customers, and we’re thrilled to announce the availability of stabilized blueberries.”

Unlike most existing fruit in frozen dairy products, Oregon Cherry Growers’ stabilized blueberries are infused with just the right amount of pure cane sugar prior to being suspended in a viscous stabilizer, which maintains uniformity when added to the end product. This process, which is similar to what’s currently used with stabilized cherries, allows whole, identifiable blueberries to be added without becoming too hard when frozen, and the end result actually tastes like whole, slightly frozen blueberries.

The Oregon Cherry Growers Stabilized Wild Blueberries are sourced from Maine and use non-GMO sugar instead of corn syrup with a natural gum stabilizer. For more information on Stabilized Wild Blueberries, please contact: info@orcherry.com.

About Oregon Cherry Growers

Founded in 1932, Oregon Cherry Growers, Inc. is a grower-owned cooperative made up of family farmers located in the Willamette Valley and along the Columbia River Gorge, who take great pride in producing the highest quality fruit. The cooperative is the largest producer and processor of sweet cherries in the world, delivering maraschino, fresh, frozen, glacé, dried and canned cherries, as well as blueberries and strawberries, to global retail, industrial ingredient, and foodservice markets. For more information, please visit: www.oregoncherry.com.