Jasper Wyman & Son, Milbridge, Maine, acquired more than 8,000 acres of wild blueberry fields and timberland in Northern New Brunswick, Canada.

The 13 square miles of land makes the frozen fruit processor a large landholder in the province and a rational and sustainable buyer for the region’s growers. The land, purchased from a private owner, is unique in the world for its wild blueberry potential, the contiguous nature of its roads and bridges and its location in the middle of the fastest growing wild blueberry supply region. Terms of the sale were not released. 

“We have been looking at several strategic opportunities to expand our berry supply, but as soon as we toured the land, this jumped to the front of the line,” says Ed Flanagan, president and CEO. “Our sales have been very strong thanks to the health benefits of wild blueberries and our own marketing efforts, and it has been our primary objective to increase supply. This land acquisition and the new factory opening on Prince Edward Island are two major commitments toward that objective.”

The new Wyman’s factory, which will open Aug. 1 on Prince Edward Island, will add 125,000 square feet to the existing facility, 13 million pounds of blueberry processing capacity and 10,000 pounds of cold storage capacity, more than doubling and tripling those two capacities, respectively. To staff the factory, Wyman’s expects to double the local workforce by adding 25 full-time and 75 seasonal employees.