Mumbai

The U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) brought together leading voices from India's food and hospitality sectors at the Blueberries Go Big India 2026 event held at JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar. The gathering was marked by the launch of Padma Shri Chef Sanjeev Kapoor's latest cookbook, "USA Blueberries Across the Globe."

The newly released publication, developed in collaboration with USA Blueberries, expands on Chef Kapoor's earlier work that primarily showcased Indian recipes. This latest edition presents a broader culinary vision, highlighting the versatility of U.S. blueberries across international cuisines, contemporary creations, and Indian-inspired dishes.

The book demonstrates how blueberries can be incorporated into a wide variety of preparations, including breakfast options, baked goods, desserts, beverages, savoury recipes, sauces, compotes, chutneys, and innovative foodservice concepts.

Chef Kapoor's latest work positions U.S. blueberries as more than just a premium ingredient, showcasing their potential in everyday cooking as well as in professional kitchens, bakeries, cafes, hotels, restaurants, and food manufacturing units.

In his note to readers, Chef Kapoor observed that blueberries have increasingly found acceptance in both Indian and global culinary traditions. He described them as ingredients appreciated for their balanced sweet-tart flavour, vibrant appearance, nutritional benefits, and adaptability across numerous applications ranging from simple breakfasts to festive desserts and fusion dishes.

The event also featured the participation of Haiying Zhang, Director of Global Business Development at the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council, who interacted with stakeholders from across India's food ecosystem. During her visit, she met importers, processors, wholesalers, retailers, ingredient suppliers, chefs, and other industry representatives to explore opportunities for expanding the use of U.S. blueberries in the country.

In the foreword to the cookbook, Zhang noted that India's food culture continues to evolve by embracing international ingredients while retaining its distinctive culinary identity. She highlighted that U.S. blueberries, available in fresh, frozen, dried, freeze-dried, and ingredient formats, offer tremendous scope for innovation among chefs, food manufacturers, bakers, and home cooks alike.

The programme included discussions on nutrition, culinary trends, product innovation, retail opportunities, and food processing applications. Participants explored how blueberries could be integrated into categories such as bakery products, dairy items, beverages, snacks, mithai, desserts, breakfast foods, healthy snacking solutions, and restaurant menus.

One of the initiatives highlighted during the event was the USA Blueberries Quality Sample Program (QSP). The programme is designed to help Indian businesses, chefs, food processors, and product developers assess various blueberry formats through trials, recipe experimentation, and commercial product development.

Speaking at the event, Raj Kapoor, India Representative of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council and Managing Director of Assocom India Pvt. Ltd., said the launch of the cookbook represented an important step towards increasing awareness and encouraging broader applications of U.S. blueberries in India.

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He noted that the collaboration with Chef Sanjeev Kapoor showcases the ingredient's versatility across both international and Indian-inspired cuisines, while the participation of international representatives and domestic stakeholders created a valuable platform for future growth in foodservice, retail, processing, and product innovation.