Bloom IQ Technologies

Oxnard and Santa Maria Got Pounded. What Happens Next? The berry market is going to feel these weather events. At IFPA, BloomIQ CEO David Karwacki met with global berry expert Jose Luis Bustamante to talk about what the recent storms mean for the upcoming berry season. Tariffs and the threat of legal action from Florida growers contributed to fewer strawberry plantings in Mexico for the November and December window. That shifted more production responsibility to Oxnard and Santa Maria, where growers planted more heavily. That was already a gamble. October and November rains can be extremely damaging to strawberries in those regions. Then the storms hit. Oxnard and Santa Maria got the worst of it, and José Luis expects the result to be a significant lack of strawberry supply through November, December and potentially January. Less fruit means higher pricing and a much tougher search for reliable strawberry supply heading into Thanksgiving and Christmas. Baja California was hit hard as well, particularly raspberries in San Quintín, Camalú and San Vicente. Heavy rain combined with strong winds damaged and destroyed hectares of protective tunnels, taking raspberry production with them. Blackberries appear to be in a better position, with additional supply coming from Mexico, Guatemala and other regions. There’s another complication for strawberries. A preliminary dumping determination of 4.87% begins November 1. Beyond the cost itself, José Luis points to the bureaucracy and paperwork it creates for a highly perishable product that needs to move seamlessly across the border. Blueberries could be the brighter story. Peru is expected to come in short, creating an opportunity for Mexican blueberries in January, February and March. For strawberries and raspberries, however, the next few months could be challenging. Use BloomIQ to track storms and shipments on our Global Weather Map and let our AI powered assistant BiQ help you navigate the market. #FreshProduce #Berries #Strawberries #ProduceIndustry #SupplyChain

Should we slow down the development of AI? Bloom IQ CEO David Karwacki puts “boy genius” Alex Carvalho, BloomIQ’s CTO, in the hot seat with some rapid fire questions. Alex gives his straightforward takes on: • GPT / Grok / Claude • The Singularity (recursive self-improvement) • Throttling the frontier labs • Armageddon from AI • Chinese open models entering the ecosystem If you’re trying to make sense of what’s happening in AI right now, you’ll want to check this one out. #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #Technology #GenerativeAI

Is My Thanksgiving Stuffing Safe From These Storms? Thanksgiving produce planning is in full swing. At IFPA in Orlando, our CEO David Karwacki met with Dennis Lofland, former team Michelin chef and foodservice supply chain expert, to talk about what the recent Southern California storms could mean for Thanksgiving. First, the good news: your stuffing is safe. Most onions are coming from farther north, including Idaho, while the timing of the celery crop means the recent storms around Oxnard shouldn’t create a major Thanksgiving problem. But weather is affecting produce throughout the region, and with the Thanksgiving pull beginning in the next four to six weeks, understanding exactly where crops are being grown matters. That’s where the BloomIQ Global Produce Map comes in. We can track storms and precipitation across growing regions and see which commodities may be affected as weather systems move through. Potatoes experienced a great deal of summer heat stress and according to Dennis this Thanksgiving staple will be short in the larger sizes. He recommends locking in your pricing and supply. Dennis shuts down David's 5-star chef claim with a recommendation of his own. His creative menu idea: grilled butternut squash layered with turkey, finished with Brussels sprouts and a sage jus. Maybe it’s time to give the mashed potatoes some competition. For everyone planning Thanksgiving supply, weather is already part of the menu. #FreshProduce #Thanksgiving #Foodservice #SupplyChain #ProduceIndustry

Farming Innovation Will Reduce Fresh Produce Costs. Farmers are a goldmine of ingenuity. Innovation doesn't happen in the boardroom. It happens on the factory floor, which in this case is a farm. And they're created individually not democratically. BloomIQ CEO David Karwacki recently witnessed farming creativity firsthand. David’s cousin Danny, a farmer, brought over some newly harvested potatoes for a fall lunch on the deck. David told him about hilling and harvesting an acre of potatoes as a kid every fall, something he remembers as his personal purgatory. Danny then shared a video of a potato harvester he had welded together in his own back shop, along with new growing techniques he was using to optimize the process. The result was doubled yield, labour reduced to a fraction and enormous satisfaction - for hundreds of dollars, not millions. Whether it’s precision farming, new genetics and plant morphology, or innovation in the shop, individual farmers are a key ingredient in the process of innovation. Great taste. Less labour. Better yield. Lower operating costs. Lower prices, with plenty of room for a profit. At BloomIQ we’re committed to connecting these innovative farmers to the global market. And let the magic begin! #FreshProduce #Agriculture #FarmingInnovation #AgTech

$8.00 Diesel: Fresh Produce’s Stunning New Road Tariff Diesel costs have exploded, but lets get the math right. Bloom IQ CEO, David Karwacki, is in Los Angeles at the All-In Tech Conference, but can’t help notice the rapidly rising fuel costs at the pump. Saudi oil is severely hampered in getting to Asia, so global prices are skyrocketing. This is putting serious pressure on truckers and the produce supply chain. Carriers need fuel surcharges. Trucks do not run on optimism. Fuel represents roughly 30% of the total cost of transportation. That means the fuel surcharge should be applied to that 30% fuel component, not to 100% of the cost of the trip. That distinction makes a significant difference. There is no single national fuel-surcharge formula. Agreements may use different diesel indexes, baselines, fuel-efficiency assumptions, mileage calculations, and adjustment schedules. That makes it essential for produce companies and their customers to understand exactly how the surcharge is being calculated. BiQ, our produce-specific AI, can help break down those variables, test the math, and show what a fair fuel surcharge should look like. Higher fuel costs are real. The surcharge should reflect the actual fuel exposure. We cannot negotiate with the fuel pump but we can make sure the math is right. #FreshProduce #Transportation #SupplyChain #Logistics #MarketIntelligence

The Peruvian Cage Match Super El Niño vs The Next Generation Of Blueberry And Grape Varieties Peru’s newest blueberry and grape varieties are entering the ring, and Mother Nature has not exactly scheduled a friendly exhibition match. Varieties such as Sekoya Pop blueberries and Autumn Crisp grapes are confronting a difficult combination of heat spikes, heavy moisture moving in from the Amazon, high humidity, botrytis risk, and the unpredictable effects of Super El Niño. The Andes may look spectacular on a postcard and are responsible for dissipating that heavy Amazonian moisture. But this year, the jungle rains are relentless and the mountain range is unable to fully dry out the air. Add elevated temperatures and some Peruvian growing regions can begin to feel less like a farm and more like a steam room. Unfortunately, botrytis loves the spa. This is where the next generation of genetics will be tested. These varieties were developed to deliver better quality, consistency, flavor, shelf life, and productivity, but no varietal brochure can guarantee how a crop will perform when the weather starts throwing combinations. The BloomIQ Global Weather Map forecasts approaching weather fronts up to nine days in advance, while BiQ analyzes Peru’s 30-day outlook and drills down into critical growing regions such as Piura and Sullana. That kind of visibility cannot change the weather, but it can give growers, exporters, and buyers valuable time to understand where the pressure is building and what it could mean for production, quality, timing, and supply. The genetics are stronger. The varieties are more sophisticated. The growers are better prepared. But Mother Nature still owns the ring. #FreshProduce #Blueberries #Grapes #Peru #AgTech David Karwacki