Emergence client, PEI Juice Works, is a PEI-based agri-food processing company that is having great success sharing Prince Edward Island’s abundant wild blueberries with the rest of the world. You can check out their story on the website of our program partner, Food Island Partnership.
PEI Juice Works’ General Manager, Jackson Platts told us the company recognized the opportunity to juice in bulk with the explosion of the craft brew market along the eastern seaboard. About 75% of PEI Juice Works’ 100% blueberry juice is shipped to China, Taiwan, Japan, Barbados, the U.S. and Europe. China represents the largest single market for the company.
Blueberries, which are considered a superfruit high in antioxidants and believed to have restorative qualities, are in high demand worldwide.
Each 375 ml bottle of juice contains just over one pound of wild blueberries. The addition of rhubarb, tart cherries and cranberries has created three unique blends that complement the natural essence of the wild blueberries.
This innovative company doesn’t waste anything. They’re now using the skin of blueberries, dried and ground to a powder, for the commercial animal feed market, and the nutraceutical industry.
“You’ve got to find a way to pay the bills,” Platts jokes. “We continue to try to develop new products and new markets.”