Why Are Berries Everywhere, in Every Season? Driscoll’s.

You almost certainly know Driscoll’s, the berry company whose leaf-green logo tops loads of clamshells in your local grocery store. But what does it take to hold such a dominant position in the berry world? Driscoll’s is now “the second-highest-earning brand in American supermarkets, behind only Coca-Cola,” writes Julia Moskin. The company is riding a growing wave of demand, developing hundreds of varieties (of which only a fraction will ever see market shelves), and reshaping consumer and grower expectations—and not always for the best. Moskin visits Driscoll’s corporate headquarters, speaking with berry scientists and economists to reveal the myriad forces extending the shelf life of raspberries and tailoring them to taste.

Inside a nearby laboratory, where two full-time sensory scientists make their assessments. 210 raspberry varieties were laid out in a grid of plastic pints. Some had been bred for visual appeal, with more shapely shoulders, uniform drupelets and less “hair” (the thin red styles that sprout where the berry is pollinated). Others were developed to maximize yield, with fewer thorns and better “plant architecture” — tall, fluffy stalks that make the berries easy to pick. Each cultivar is tested for qualities like P.S.I., the interior pressure that determines whether a berry will yield to the teeth with an explosive, juicy pop. Out of those 210 strains, said Kyle Rak, the company’s chief raspberry scientist, perhaps two will make it to market.