Blueberry grower expands Greek operation and starts production in Turkey
Greek fresh produce exporter Yaka has expanded its blueberry activities in recent years following an extensive period of research and development. The company started trials with different varieties and cultivation systems before establishing a commercial operation in Komotini, Greece, in 2024.
“In the period of 2020-2023, we started our research and development works about the blueberry cultivation. We visited many farms in different countries, and then we started trials with 15 different varieties planted in both soil and pots with different substrates, different types of pots, different irrigation systems, and operated with different fertigation recipes,” says Onur Mustafa Ahmet, general manager of Yaka.
Following the trials, the company selected the combination it considered most suitable and began investing in Greece. “After 2023 and our observations, we decided to invest with the most suitable combination of all those and started our investment in Greece in Komotini in 2024 as Blue Farm company. As of now, we have planted 40,000 plants, and we are the largest blueberry farm in Greece, and our investment still continues. The target is to reach 70,000 plants,” Ahmet explains.
The expansion has also crossed the border into Turkey, where Yaka has started a second blueberry investment based on the experience gained in Greece. “Besides that, we started another blueberry investment in Turkey in Ipsala this year, with the same infrastructure based on our experience and know-how obtained in Greece. The target there is to reach 150,000 plants, and long-term, to become the largest blueberry farm in Turkey as well.”
The Greek operation delivered around 50 tons in its second year of plantation, with Ahmet highlighting both the volume and the size achieved: “This year’s production in Greece was very fruitful, and we dominated the Greek market during the season, in June and July. Also, the product quality was very good in terms of sizes, between 20-22mm. We grew about 50 tons in our second year on the plantation. Next year we expect to double it and also export these berries from Greece.”
Expanding across the border
The decision to establish a Turkish operation is linked in part to the different weather conditions, Ahmet says. “The largest advantage for us is the weather, because it permits us to have crops where the supply is at a minimum in Europe, which is mainly in June. With Greek production, we plan to dominate the Greek market and export to Europe, and with Turkish production we plan to dominate the Turkish market and export mostly to the East.”
“All experience and know-how is made in Greek side, thanks to our agronomists, which they feed with that knowledge to the border company in Turkey who now make newly the investment anew, from establishing the pots and planting until their care and irrigation-fertigation. Both companies work like sister companies, sharing all data and knowledge. Their distance is just 100km.”
The expansion is not limited to cultivation. Yaka also plans to develop packing, sorting, and warehouse infrastructure in Turkey, complementing the facilities already available in Greece. “On the Turkey side, besides blueberry cultivation, there will be investment for a packaging-sorting-warehouse facilities too. On the Greece side, we already have Yaka company facilities which have packaging-sorting-warehouse. In both facilities, we plan to invest in blueberry machinery too, from optical calibrators to weighers.”
Managing blueberry production in pots
Growing blueberries in pots presents its own technical challenges, particularly because the plants are more sensitive to changes in their growing environment. “The major challenge is blueberry cultivation in pots which, because there is no soil, is very sensitive to changes and because of that you need to keep track of all the details and elements very frequently in order to be able to make changes quickly whenever required.”
The company’s irrigation and fertigation infrastructure is designed to help respond to these changes, with sensors and automation providing more control over the growing conditions. “Our irrigation-fertigation system with many sensors and its automatization settings help very much on that. Of course, our agronomists are also important because they have experience. The most significant proof of this was that we reached 20- 22 mm sizes not only on prime varieties but also on varieties like classical Duke, and that only shows the success of our system. We still continue our R&D work all the time, by trying new varieties and different pruning methods in order to observe new potentials.”
For more information:
Onur Mustafa Ahmet
YAKA
Tel: +30 2531 082 800
Mobile: +30 694 878 5259
Email: onurma@yaka.gr
www.yaka.gr
