Fruits and pricing!

Of course I need to add some fruit to my mead!

So where, and how do I get fruit?

I am thinking of a blueberry mead.  Here is a link to using blueberries in wine:

http://www.newenglandvfc.org/2003_conference/proceedings_03/blueberry2/blueberry_wine_production.pdf

Since I am going to be getting a farmers winery license I must source my fruit from local sources, which is in Massachusetts.  Here is a good link to farms supplies in Massachusetts.

 http://www.farmfresh.org/food/farms.php?zip=01938

Trying to find estimates of prices for wholesale products for MA, I came across this report:

http://www.hort.cornell.edu/grower/nybga/research%20reports/2009berry%20pricingsurvey.pdf

It is for New York state, and dates back to 2009, so I will use these prices but tend towards the upper end.

I bought 10 lbs of blueberries for 45.00 bucks for my sample mead.  I should be able to get the price down to maybe < 3.00 per lb.  But lets say 3.00USD/lb.

I used 10 lbs/5 gallons.

For my 100 gallons of mead then, I need 20 * 10, or 200 lbs of blueberries.  At 3.00USD/lb = 600.00 bucks!  Maybe I should go with 8 lbs/5 gallons.  This may work if I crush the blueberries to start...


How about Strawberries?

Some quick looking online, I got some prices of 1.90/lb for u pick.  Can I get this down to 1.00 for bulk price?  At Costco, strawberries cost 10 bucks for 7 lbs.  I will go with the NY 2009 estimate of 2.50/lb wholesale.

For raspberries, they are MUCH more expensive - double the price of strawberries.  Going with the NY pricing for estimate, say 5.00/lb.

For strawberries, you need LOTS of fruit.  I am going to make a raspberry/strawberry combo, with 10 Lbs of strawberries and 7 lbs rasberries per 5 gallons.

Then I need 200 lbs of strawberries and 140 lbs of raspberries.  That makes

200*2.50 + 140 * 5.00 = 500 + 700 = 1200.00 USB  Wow.  Reality is setting in!