UK-based berry grower Winterwood has formally launched Winterwood Europe, a Poland-based business supplying berries to retailers in Poland and across Central and Eastern Europe.
The division offers retailers year-round berry programmes, combining Winterwood’s own farms and packing with its international supply network. Blueberries are the core of the range, with access to nearly 20,000 tonnes a year through Winterwood’s farms and procurement partners. Raspberries, blackberries and strawberries complete the offer, and the Polish facilities can handle up to 30 truckloads a week.
Winterwood Europe has been trading since February 2025. This launch formalises it as the company’s next phase of expansion in the region.
Growers selling to retailers
Commercial director Maciej Wójtowicz, who is based in Poland, said the business approaches retail supply as growers that understand the challenges of production, and can offer “continuity beyond our own production seasons”. Terry Gilham is global company director.
Winterwood is one of the biggest names in European blueberries. Earlier this year, East-Fruit described it as the largest blueberry producer in Europe and Africa, with more than 2,000 hectares of farms across the UK, France, Poland and South Africa. Its UK packing facility handles around 20,000 tonnes a year, and managing director Stephen Taylor represents the UK at the International Blueberry Organization.
The gap in Poland’s blueberry sector
The timing reflects the pressures facing Polish blueberries. Poland produces around 62,000 to 64,000 tonnes a year from roughly 13,000 hectares, but the average farm covers just 1.4 hectares, according to analysis published by HortiDaily last month.
Meanwhile, global supply is growing fast. The International Blueberry Organization puts world production at 2.33 million tonnes in 2025, rising to more than 3.36 million tonnes by 2029, with Peru alone expected to reach around 604,000 tonnes. Retailers can now pick and choose, and they want firmness, flavour, size, uniformity and shelf life.
The same analysis concluded that Polish growers need to consolidate, share packing and cooling infrastructure, and market collectively to compete. That is, in effect, the model Winterwood brings: large-scale production, its own packing, and supply from other countries to fill the months Poland can’t.
Demand is also running ahead of the Polish season. By May last year, blueberries were already Poland’s second most popular berry after strawberries, according to Polskie Jagody, weeks before the domestic harvest begins. That’s exactly the gap a year-round supplier can fill.
For Poland’s many small growers, the arrival of a large, integrated supplier selling directly to retailers could mean both competition and a model to follow.
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