FOLSOM, Calif. — The U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) has announced the selection of Bytecode IO as the winning vendor for the Blueberry Industry Production and Pricing Data Collection Program.
The USHBC is placing an increased emphasis on the use of data to track the effectiveness of efforts to increase the production, sales and value of the blueberry crop produced domestically for U.S. consumption and export markets, and the sales and value of blueberries imported to the U.S. USHBC issued a request for proposals to find a qualified firm with experience in the design and management of systems that facilitate the regular capture and integration of crop production, inventory and sales data for both the fresh market, and the processed market across different domestic and global regions’ crop reporting and tracking systems.
“Bytecode IO was chosen as the winning partner as it was the best fit in terms of both ingenuity and intelligence, spot-on advice, an exceptional presentation, and confidence proven by over 600 deployments,” stated Joe Vargas, USHBC director of data and insights. “This program will build capabilities that are superior to alternative market options. We’re on track to deliver on our promise, and we’ll keep the industry informed along the way.”
Bytecode IO is a full stack data consulting company focused on helping businesses make the best use of the valuable data they collect. With over a decade of experience deploying scalable, reliable and cost-effective data products and analytics solutions in the cloud, Bytecode IO helps their clients unlock value from data to deliver critical insights to internal and external users.
“We’re committed to a single source of truth for the blueberry industry, with true insights that are actionable, not just a noise. In addition to showing tangible data, we compare it against historical numbers and provide context around trends,” said John Marshall, Bytecode IO vice president of services.
In addition to Bytecode IO, Category Partners will continue to provide strategic support to the USHBC and remain a critical piece to this new managed analytics platform.
Call for Industry Involvement
Participation from blueberry producers and marketers will be crucial to the data program’s success. Already, the industry task force has played a crucial role in the selection process. USHBC has been working with a sample data set to start developing a model of the data capture and reporting. The second phase of work will expand on the initial sample set of data, ultimately reflecting a super majority of blueberry volume, both imported and produced in the U.S.
Through this project, USHBC will launch a modernized data analytics platform designed with data governance in mind, which will be previewed at The Blueberry Summit this fall in Nashville, and fully launched on or around December 1, 2022. For access to existing resources from USHBC, visit the data and insights center.
About the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council
Established in 2000, The U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) is a federal agriculture research and promotion program with independent oversight from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). USHBC represents blueberry growers and packers in North and South America who market their blueberries in the United States and overseas, and works to promote the growth and well-being of the entire blueberry industry. USHBC was established by blueberry growers and currently has 2,500 growers, packers and importers. USHBC is committed to providing blueberries that are grown, harvested, packed and shipped in clean, safe environments. Learn more at ushbc.org.
