Navigating the Raspberry Shortage: Global Market Shifts and Resilient Sourcing with Shundi Foods

The global berry market faced an unprecedented shakeup following the 2025 season. Europe, the historic heartland of global raspberry production, was dealt a severe blow by a succession of extreme weather events. For international buyers, food manufacturers, and distributors, this unexpected raspberry shortage has forced a rethink of sourcing strategies.

The season began with heartbreak for European growers. An unseasonably severe spring frost struck major cultivation zones just as the raspberry plants were budding, drastically reducing bud burst rates.

Compounding the disaster, the critical growing season was plagued by torrential, prolonged rainfall. The excess moisture did more than just physically wash away plants—it created a breeding ground for fungal pathogens. Diseases like grey mold (Botrytis cinerea) spread like wildfire through plantations, devastating fruit quality and wiping out massive volumes before harvest.

Serbia: Long recognized as a global powerhouse in raspberry exports, Serbia’s premium crops—particularly those from the famed Arilje region—have traditionally dominated the market. The unfavorable weather dealt a heavy blow to this hub, drastically tightening global premium supply.

Poland: As another manufacturing heavyweight, Poland attempted to cushion the blow by expanding cultivation areas and leveraging protected cropping technologies. While these measures stabilized raw volume to some degree, the early-season climate battered the final fruit quality.

The Netherlands: Already grappling with acute labor shortages, Dutch producers faced severe operational bottlenecks. To meet local demand, many Netherlands-based processors were forced to import raw raspberries from Poland, further complicating the intra-European supply chain and shifting market dynamics.

As the European harvest shrank, the reduced output quickly created a noticeable imbalance between supply and demand. This tightening of the market pushed raspberry prices upward across all categories. Processors felt the pressure most acutely: the availability of frozen and freeze-dried raspberries dropped far faster than expected, leaving many companies struggling to secure enough raw materials. Faced with thinning inventories in Europe, international brands and distributors have increasingly shifted their attention to Asian suppliers to stabilize their sourcing.

Over the past few years, China has seen steady growth in both the production and export of raspberry products. This rapid increase is driven by several factors: the growing popularity of healthy eating, rising consumer demand for nutrient-rich fruit ingredients, and a significant shift in global sourcing as international buyers turn to China to fill the gap left by Europe’s reduced harvest.

Shundi Food is one of the few companies in China capable of large-scale freeze-dried and IQF raspberry production, supported by stable and fully traceable raw material supply channels. Unlike many traders that rely heavily on external suppliers, Shundi ensures end-to-end traceability, consistent quality, and strict food safety—from the field all the way to the final packaged product.

Our freeze-dried raspberries feature vivid natural color, excellent shape retention, strong aroma and clean-label processing, making them an ideal choice for a wide range of applications, including bakery toppings, cereal mixes, snacks, confectionery, beverages, and functional food products. For international importers and distributors, partnering with Shundi means gaining long-term reliability in an increasingly unpredictable global market.