Driscoll's, a $7 billion California-based berry company and the global market leader, expanded its operations into China, becoming the first foreign berry company permitted to operate in the country. This expansion, however, led to significant local competition and widespread intellectual property theft related to its blueberry cultivation methods. Private investigators were reportedly sent undercover to nurseries to investigate these issues.
By 2025, China surpassed the United States to become the world's largest blueberry producer, partly due to its access to advanced technologies like pesticide-spraying robots and automated lighting for mold prevention, which are significantly more expensive in the U.S. While Driscoll's now has approximately 8,000 acres under cultivation in China, the company's model of owning genetic material and know-how, then subcontracting to growers, has made its intellectual property vulnerable.
Driscoll's, which began as a family farm in 1904, made a strategic decision in 1989 to make all four major berries available year-round globally. This strategy has made it the second-highest-earning brand in American supermarkets, behind Coca-Cola. The company's expansion into markets like China highlights the challenges of protecting proprietary agricultural knowledge in a globalized economy, especially when dealing with rapidly advancing local industries.
