The U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) crowned Pluff as the $20,000 grand prize winner and Bonny as the $10,000 runner-up of the first-ever Blueberry Boost Accelerator Pitch Competition, held earlier this month at The Blueberry Convention 2025 in Seattle. The competition marked the finale of the Blueberry Boost Accelerator, a nine-week program developed by USHBC in partnership with innovation advisory firm VentureFuel to fuel forward-thinking product innovation and elevate blueberries as a hero ingredient across food, beverage and beyond.
Through dedicated mentorship, strategic guidance and industry connections, the program equipped four startup brands and their founders with the insights, tools and network to accelerate commercialization and long-term growth. Mentors and speakers included experts from leading organizations across the blueberry and consumer packaged goods (CPG) industries.
The four participants in the cohort and October 9 pitch competition were:Bonny (New York), a prebiotic fiber supplement powder; Farmer Bob’s “Beyond Berries™” (Salem, Ore.), an upcycled frozen berry product fused with dates; Pluff (Orlando, Fla.), a high-protein whipped mousse dessert; and Sorbatto’s“Blue Cream” (Wapato, Wash.), a dairy-free frozen dessert made from 75% highbush blueberries.
Pitches were evaluated by a live panel of industry experts, including Kasey Cronquist, president, U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council; George Daines, director of sales and business development, Cultivate CPG; Amira Khatib, vice president, Bluestein Ventures; Jeff Malensky, president, Oregon Berry Packing Inc.; and Kellie Peaslee, supplier manager, KeHE Food Distributors.
Pluff captured the judges’ attention with its whipped, mousse-style, blueberry-flavored dessert that delivers 20 grams of protein and just 4 grams of sugar per serving.
“Being in this cohort really opened my eyes to different ways blueberries can be utilized, and I’m happy that I’m one of those innovators who can showcase the value that blueberries bring, especially in the protein and wellness product industry,” said founder Dylan Paul. “To be recognized as the grand prize winner is incredible. The $20,000 will put us in the right position to scale and get into retail, which is our number one goal in the next six to 12 months.”
Bonny, runner-up and recipient of the $10,000 prize, uses blueberries as a natural flavoring agent in its prebiotic fiber powders.
“Being part of this cohort opened my eyes to the innovation happening in the blueberry food product industry. It’s amazing what people are doing with blueberries,” said Jessica Postiglione, founder and CEO. “It feels amazing to be runner-up for the pitch competition — this means so much for our business. The funds will go directly toward inventory, which is critical as we continue to grow.”
In addition to pitching live, all four companies exhibited on The Blueberry Convention’s Blueberry Row, sampling with attendees and connecting directly with blueberry growers, handlers, marketers and other industry stakeholders.
“This program underscores the incredible innovation happening at the intersection of food, beverage and agriculture,” said USHBC’s Cronquist. “We extend our sincere congrats to these founders, who are reimagining what’s possible with blueberries — taking them from the fruit we all know and love to a true hero ingredient across categories. The Blueberry Convention provided an excellent forum for our industry to experience this innovation firsthand by engaging directly with these entrepreneurs, tasting their products and seeing their passion and creativity come alive on the main stage.”
“Our winners — and the full cohort — demonstrate how creativity becomes commerce when startups and industry leaders collaborate,” said Fred Schonenberg, founder and CEO of VentureFuel. “Blueberries have become a launchpad for innovation — fueling new ideas, new products and new ways for consumers to experience this extraordinary fruit.” For more information on the program and this year’s winners, visit blueberryboostaccelerator.com.
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, exporters and importers. USHBC is committed to providing blueberries that are grown, harvested, packed and shipped in clean, safe environments. Learn more at ushbc.blueberry.org and blueberry.org.
About VentureFuel
VentureFuel is an independent innovation advisory firm that helps the world’s best organizations commercialize innovation to ignite change by working with startups. Its innovation programs help enterprise organizations learn, test, build and invest in emerging technology to solve their biggest problems today and unlock new sources of growth. VentureFuel provides organizations like Hershey’s, Comcast, Dick’s Sporting Goods, AARP Foundation and the State of California the tools to drive transformative change with less risk, more speed, and greater proximity to the consumer than traditional innovation models. Learn more at venturefuel.net, LinkedIn, X, and Instagram, and listen to The VentureFuel Visionaries podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
