History of Carolina Blueberry Cooperative Association

(Author Unknown)

    In the late 1920's, Harrell Hunnington of New Jersey came to the Black River area of North Carolina and planted blueberries.  He was followed by Dr. Frederick Coville, and the third grower was D. M. Crabbe.  By the 1930's, there were several others.

    The first local grower was John A. Murphy of Atkinson.  Sam Ingram and many others followed.  Gale Harrison came in 1937 and by 1940 these local growers were in full harvest.  They needed a place to store supplies, etc., so the first building was erected on the John Murphy farm.  Gale Harrison built a packing house and had lots of storage where some of the supplies were stored.

    The North Carolina growers belonged to Tru-Blu Association of New Jersey, as did the growers from Michigan state.  Tru-Blu handled all the supplies, fertilizer, sales, etc.  However, when the blueberries came into harvest in New Jersey, Tru-Blu would basically pull away from the Carolina growers, leaving them to find a home for their remaining crop.  The Carolina growers decided to organize and incorporate.  On April 21, 1941, the Carolina blueberry Association Cooperative, Inc. became a reality.  Signing the papers were Harrell Hunnington, Gale Harrison, J. A. Murphy, Sam Ingram, D. M. Crabbe, and Howard Hubbard.

For the first few years, the Co-Op still sold their berries through Tru-Blu.  They later signed with C. H. Robinson Company and sold all their berries to him.  They were shipped by rail by the Atlantic Coast Line.  Unfortunately on many occasion, by the time they got to their destinations the blueberries were usually leaking juice.  Therefore the Co-Op would not always get paid for their product.  They started icing them down in the cars and packing the berries in wooden cups and wooden crates.

    In 1946, the railway express agent met with the growers and promised them better service.  The agent advised them the railway was also connected with national airlines and would be able to give air transportation as well as rail.

    The trucking industry also began using refrigerated trucks, so the Co-Op began utilizing long-haul trucks more often.  A full time inspector was also hired to inspect the berries.  If the berries failed to meet the standards established by the Co-Op they would be returned to the grower responsible for them.

    In 1948, they decided to have the ends of the crates printed with "Bonnie Blues," their brand name.  They thought it would be good advertising.  They put money in an advertising fund every year.  They also paid the North Carolina State College Research Department every year to help with research.  Most of the growers did their own research.  In the beginning, they all had plant beds.  They started their own wood cuttings and propagation.  They would not sell to people who had no desire to join the association.

    Dr. Morrow and Dr. Fulton from State College were very instrumental in new varieties of plants.  There was a plant named after Dr. Morrow.  The Murphy plant was named in honor of John A. Murphy.  The Walcott was named for Mr. Hunnington's father.  Between 1940 and 1950 there was also the Croatan and the Angolo, both developed to thrive in this area of North Carolina.  Later the Harrison plant was named for Gale Harrison.  Some of the diseases at the time were Canker and Stunt.  They used DDT for fighting the insects, then Chlordane replaced it.

    In 1946, Elizabeth Pippin was hired as the Co-Op's secretatry.  In 1950, a new lot was purchased on Fremont and Dudley streets in Burgaw, NC.  A new building with storage and an office was erected.  Also, Mr. Gale Harrison invented a packing machine which was available for use to all members of the Co-Op.  Also, Parathion and root duster were available to the growers for insect control.

    In 1952, there were other insecticides introduced.  Marlate was thought to be better than DDT or Cryolite for worm problems.  The summer oil tests for mites were disappointing.

    Also in 1952, there was an amendment to the By-Laws.  The amendment allowed for one vote per each farm unit.

    By 1954, consumer demand grew stronger for blueberries and many new uses were found for the fruit.  The Department of Agriculture's test kitchen turned out over 100 recipes.  Some members of the Co-Op were selling as much as 25 percent of their berries outside of the Association.  The Board of Directors felt the need to clamp down on the By-Laws which read, "he shall ship through the association or under its direction all berries raised by him."  There were some growers expelled from the association due to selling outside the Co-Op.

    Also in 1954, Mrs. Pippin was promoted to general manager and given the authority to sell, distribute, and supervise shipping.  The Co-Op proposed a new cardboard crate that year using pulp cups and cellophane.  They also decided to sell berries themselves instead of through C. H. Robinson Company.  They still had inspectors inspect the berries and any undergrade or soft berries were not tolerated.  They notified all members about the new rules on packaging and shipping.

    In 1955, Dr. Morrow from State College Research Department and Dr. Goheen from Washington, D.C. urged the Co-Op to send a delegation to State lawmakers to establish appropriations and aids to help support the blueberry industry of North Carolina.

    In 1956, the Association needed a larger building for supplies and selling.  They looked at several sites and decided on the one at Highway 117 and 117A in Burgaw.  Mr. Gale Harrison submitted drawings for the proposed floor plan for the new building and they were approved.  In 1957, the building was agreed upon and Fitzhugh Rivenbark was hired as contractor.  The building included coolers, office, storage, kitchen, and sleeping quarters for truckers.  In 1958, the Co-Op was moved from Fremont Street to the newly constructed facility.

    In 1959, the Pender County Development Corporation approached the Board about purchasing a lot to build an egg plant.  The deal was closed in 1960.  In 1962, a lot was sold to E. M. baker.  Years later, more property was sold.

    In 1964, the Burgaw building was connected to city water.  In 1965, two coolers and a warehouse were added.

    In 1967 the Board elected a new President, Harold Sessions and a Vice-President, Jack Murphy.  Mr. Murphy's father was the first president of the corporation.  In 1968, Harold Hunnington, one of the first members, resigned due to age.

    Also that same year, the North Carolina legislature appropriated funds for research for blueberries, and Dr. Mike Mainland was employed as the new director of the Horticulture Research Station in Castle Hayne, NC.

    In 1970, Mrs. Pippin retired and a new general manager, Leonard Sansone, was hired.  Mr. Sansone's wife, Betty, eventually became the Co-Op's secretary.

    By 1971 they had machines to mechanically harvest blueberries.  In 1972, the state developed a new packing machine.  Our Co-Op contributed to the development of the new machine.  The growers were urged to grow and produce peppers, cucumbers, etc. which were sold along with the blueberries.  In 1974, the Co-Op began selling muscadine grapes for the few members that were growing them.

    In 1976, a loading dock was built at White Lake.  In 1983, refrigeration was updated at Burgaw and the loading dock was enlarged.  A new building was also constructed that same year at White Lake with offices, storage, and coolers.

    Previously, the Co-Op sold its bulk fruit to other processors.  But with the growth of the Co-Op, it was decided it would be beneficial to process their own berries.  In 1988, a process plant at the Burgaw facility was completed with the newest of lines, etc.

    Looking back over the years the Association has come a long way.  The first land was cleared by old steel-wheeled tractors, hoes, and shovels.  Now the land is cleared with the help of bulldozers.  There are numerous upgrades in picking and packing machines, as well as new technology for refrigeration.

    We have a lot to be proud of.  The blueberry industry has come from a few dollars a year to millions of dollars a year.  Southeastern North Carolina and the blueberry industry have the first members of Caroline Blueberry Association to thank for this.

(This concludes the recorded history of Carolina Blueberry Association based on the information I found in the office.  I have changed some of the wording only to be grammatically correct, but I have tried not to change any of the context.  Please let me know if any of the facts as I have presented them are incorrect.  Also, I'm sure there were other events worth noting, i.e., Mr. Blanchard being voted into presidency, and the fire at White Lake.  I do not have the dates or any details for these events.  So, I would greatly appreciate assistance from anyone who can help fill in these dates as well as any other noteworthy events in the history of Carolina Blueberry Association.  I will gladly bring the Co-Op's history up to date once I have obtained the additional information needed to do so.  -- Kim Hunter, Secretary)