True Blue Farms
True Blue Farms is a family-owned blueberry farm in Grand Junction, Michigan producing millions of pounds of fresh and frozen blueberries across twelve varieties, selling direct-to-consumer (U-Pick, e-commerce, farm stands) and wholesale to retailers and food-service buyers with no middle-men.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1993
- HeadquartersGrand Junction, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What True Blue Farms does
True Blue Farms is a family-owned blueberry farming operation headquartered in Grand Junction, Southwest Michigan—the region marketed as the "Blueberry Capital of the World," moderated by Lake Michigan's lake-effect climate. Founded in 1993 by Dennis and Shelly Hartmann from a 25-acre starting block, the company has grown into one of the largest blueberry growers in North America, producing and marketing millions of pounds of premium blueberries annually across twelve distinct varieties. Operations span conventional blueberry cultivation, integrated pest management, overhead sprinkler frost protection, and an in-house frozen processing and fresh packing facility that allows direct field-to-buyer shipping with full traceability.
The business is vertically integrated end-to-end: True Blue Farms grows on its own land, packs in its own facility, and markets through its affiliated True Blue Berry Management Company, deliberately eliminating brokers and middle-men. The company monetizes across four channels—fresh blueberry sales (farm stands and wholesale), U-Pick agritourism during the July 1 to mid-August fresh window, year-round frozen blueberries, and mail-order/farm-gate blueberry bushes for home growers. A dedicated wholesale toll-free line (1-877-654-2400) handles bulk buyer orders, while the The Blueberry Store e-commerce sub-brand (theblueberrystore.com) serves direct-to-consumer demand. The company serves two principal customer segments: families and individual consumers seeking premium fresh, frozen, or U-Pick berries, and wholesale buyers (retailers, grocers, food-service operators) requiring reliable, certified bulk supply.
True Blue Farms is differentiated primarily by its certification stack—AIB "Superior" rating, Primus GFSI, USDA approval, Kosher certification, HACCP, and MAEAP—which supports wholesale and food-service channel access, and by its direct-from-grower pricing model. A family beekeeper (Jean Hartmann) supports pollination, and the company maintains basic digital presence via its website, Facebook, and a LinkedIn profile for co-owner Shelly Hartmann. No external investors, parent companies, or partnerships are disclosed; ownership and management remain concentrated in the founding Hartmann family.
True Blue Farms firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- True Blue Farms
- Legal name
- True Blue Farms
- Website
- https://truebluefarms.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1993
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- True Blue Farms is a family-owned blueberry farm in Grand Junction, Michigan producing millions of pounds of fresh and frozen blueberries across twelve varieties, selling direct-to-consumer (U-Pick, e-commerce, farm stands) and wholesale to retailers and food-service buyers with no middle-men.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
True Blue Farms industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Fresh Berry Farming and Production
- NAICS
- Berry (except Strawberry) Farming (111334), Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Retailers (44424)
- SIC
- Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Berry Farming (Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Cranberries) (AFAGACAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Berry Sorting & Packing Facilities (AFAOAGAD)
Keywords
Where True Blue Farms is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Grand Junction
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
True Blue Farms business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Fresh Blueberry Sales: Fresh blueberries sold daily-picked from farm stands and through wholesale orders. Season typically runs July 1 through mid-August.
- U-Pick Operations: Families and consumers visit farm to pick their own blueberries from large, open, trimmed fields. Additional revenue from farm visit experience.
- Frozen Blueberries: Frozen blueberries available year-round for off-season sales.
- Blueberry Bush Sales: Blueberry bushes sold by mail order and at farm location for home gardening.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
True Blue Farms product offering
Product offeringCore offering
True Blue Farms grows, packs, and markets premium fresh and frozen blueberries from its own Southwest Michigan farms, offering twelve distinct varieties through wholesale, on-farm retail, U-Pick experiences, and an online store. The company also sells blueberry bushes for home growers and operates a vertically integrated farm-to-buyer model with no brokers or middle-men.
Product overview
True Blue Farms operates as a single-product-focused blueberry farming operation with supporting retail and experiential services. The core offering is premium fresh and frozen blueberries, supplemented by u-pick experiences and direct-to-consumer sales through The Blueberry Store. The company also sells blueberry bushes for home growers. All products flow from their farm operations in Southwest Michigan, with no modular platform architecture—the portfolio represents a unified agricultural product line with retail extensions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- The Blueberry Store: Online store for blueberry products, accessible at www.TheBlueberryStore.com
Products and services
- Fresh Blueberries Premium quality fresh blueberries produced and marketed by True Blue Farms, available in twelve distinct varieties throughout the summer season (typically July 1 through mid-August). Sold daily-picked through farm stands, wholesale orders, and The Blueberry Store e-commerce site.
- Frozen Blueberries Flash-frozen blueberries processed in the company's extensive frozen processing facility, available year-round for both wholesale and retail customers via farm stand, wholesale orders, and The Blueberry Store.
- Blueberry Bushes Blueberry bushes sold both by mail order and at the farm location in Grand Junction, Michigan, for home gardeners; availability and pricing provided by calling the company's toll-free number.
- U-Pick Blueberry Experience Family-friendly U-Pick service offering fresh blueberries picked directly from the field, with multiple blueberry varieties available during the July through mid-August season at the Grand Junction, Michigan farm.
- The Blueberry Store Online retail store (theblueberrystore.com) selling True Blue Farms' blueberry products, including fresh and frozen blueberries and blueberry bushes, directly to consumers.
Quantifiable outcome
- One-half cup of blueberries delivers as much antioxidant power as 5 servings of other fruits and vegetables
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use True Blue Farms
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
True Blue Farms technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
True Blue Farms partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
True Blue Farms competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Driscoll's: Driscoll's is the largest berry marketer in North America, specializing in strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. It is a direct competitor to True Blue Farms in the fresh blueberry category, serving retail and wholesale channels with year-round supply through global sourcing.
- Naturipe Farms: Naturipe Farms is a grower-owned berry cooperative producing fresh and frozen blueberries, strawberries, and other berries across North and South America. It competes directly with True Blue Farms in wholesale and retail blueberry supply with comparable certifications and vertically integrated operations.
- Wish Farms: Wish Farms is a Florida-based multi-generation family berry grower that produces blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries with a direct-to-consumer and wholesale model. Its family-owned heritage, U-Pick-style operations, and vertically integrated approach mirror True Blue Farms' positioning.
- Hortifrut: Hortifrut is one of the world's largest blueberry producers with operations across the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa. As a vertically integrated global blueberry grower with branded programs, it competes with True Blue Farms in the premium fresh and frozen blueberry segments worldwide.
- Sakuma Brothers Farms: Sakuma Brothers Farms is a multi-generation Pacific Northwest grower producing blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries with on-site processing. It is comparable to True Blue Farms in family ownership, vertically integrated processing, and multi-channel fresh/frozen distribution.
- Oregon Berry Packing: Oregon Berry Packing is a Pacific Northwest blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, and marionberry grower and packer. It is comparable to True Blue Farms as a regional, family-oriented blueberry producer with on-site packing and wholesale distribution.
- Sunny Ridge Farm: Sunny Ridge Farm is a U.S. blueberry and blackberry grower with operations across multiple states. It competes with True Blue Farms in fresh and frozen blueberry supply to retail and wholesale buyers, with comparable scale and category focus.
- MBG Marketing (Michigan Blueberry Growers): MBG Marketing is the marketing arm of the Michigan Blueberry Growers Association, representing a large cooperative of Michigan blueberry farmers. It is comparable to True Blue Farms as a fellow Southwest Michigan blueberry grower and marketer selling under its own brand through wholesale and retail channels.
Regional players
- BerryMex: BerryMex is one of Mexico's largest blueberry producers, supplying the U.S. market during the counter-season window. It is comparable to True Blue Farms as a vertically integrated blueberry grower but competes primarily in a different production window from a different geography.
Others
- Fall Creek Farm & Nursery: Fall Creek Farm & Nursery is a global wholesale blueberry nursery that propagates and sells blueberry plants and varieties to commercial growers. It is comparable to True Blue Farms as an adjacent player in the blueberry value chain, supplying the genetic and propagation inputs that True Blue's farm depends on.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
True Blue Farms social profiles
Digital presenceTrue Blue Farms compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
True Blue Farms financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
True Blue Farms leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
True Blue Farms funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
True Blue Farms M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about True Blue Farms
What does True Blue Farms do?
True Blue Farms grows, packs, and markets premium fresh and frozen blueberries from its own Southwest Michigan farms, offering twelve distinct varieties through wholesale, on-farm retail, U-Pick experiences, and an online store. The company also sells blueberry bushes for home growers and operates a vertically integrated farm-to-buyer model with no brokers or middle-men.
Is True Blue Farms a public or private company?
True Blue Farms is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was True Blue Farms founded?
True Blue Farms was founded in 1993. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is True Blue Farms based?
True Blue Farms is headquartered in Grand Junction, United States, in the North America region.
How does True Blue Farms make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Fresh Blueberry Sales are the primary driver. The others are U-Pick Operations, frozen Blueberries and blueberry Bush Sales.
Who are True Blue Farms's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Driscoll's, Naturipe Farms, Wish Farms, Hortifrut, Sakuma Brothers Farms, Oregon Berry Packing, Sunny Ridge Farm and MBG Marketing (Michigan Blueberry Growers). BerryMex is listed as a regional player. Fall Creek Farm & Nursery is listed as an others.
Does True Blue Farms have an API?
No public API is recorded for True Blue Farms.
What industry is True Blue Farms in?
True Blue Farms's product category is Fresh Berry Farming and Production. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAGACAD, Berry Farming (Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Cranberries), with a secondary code of AFAOAGAD, Berry Sorting & Packing Facilities. Its NAICS code is 111334 and its SIC code is 100.