Blue Whale closed its 2025/26 season with 313,476 tonnes marketed and turnover of €384.1 million, compared with €356 million in the previous financial year.
As Bruno Bertheloz, Managing Director of Blue Whale, points out: “This has been a solid season, but growth alone is not the objective. The key question remains the same: how can we turn exceptional results into sustainable value, from the orchard to the consumer? This is at the heart of our strategy: investing in orchards, renewing varieties, driving innovation and developing markets that create value.”
Higher volumes and more exports
The 2025/26 crop exceeded forecasts, although fruit sizes were smaller and a higher proportion was destined for processing. Yields, pack-out rates and pressure on prices reduced returns per hectare, highlighting the fact that volume alone is not enough: not all apples have the same value.
Exports also presented a mixed picture. Turnover from long-haul exports increased by 45%, driven by the Middle East, India and the Gulf countries, despite the significant disruption caused by the Strait of Hormuz crisis. “The crisis highlighted just how fragile global supply chains are,” says Marc Peyres, Export Sales Director at Blue Whale, who explains that the team reacted quickly, drew on its network of contacts and maintained shipments without changing course.
This resilience reflects the current structure of the business: Blue Whale now markets two-thirds of its volume internationally, in more than 70 countries, a level of diversification that helps protect the company when individual markets encounter difficulties.
2026/27: a season to watch closely
Looking ahead, the outlook is more uncertain. Initial estimates for the 2026/27 season point to lower yields per hectare than last year, with fruit sizes affected by the extreme heat recorded in June and July.
The season could be characterised by a better balance between supply and demand, with European volumes forecast to decline. However, value will remain a key issue: the season will begin under pressure from existing stocks, a higher volume of lower-quality fruit and demand that still needs to be stimulated.
Blue Whale becomes a purpose-driven company
Since last July, the group has officially incorporated its corporate purpose into its articles of association, becoming an “Entreprise à Mission”, or purpose-driven company. This represents a new milestone for the group and formalises a commitment that has been part of its identity for 75 years.
Becoming a purpose-driven company is a natural step in Blue Whale’s history and reflects the cooperative DNA that has shaped the group since its foundation.
The Entreprise à Mission status provides a formal framework for companies that choose to place their purpose and social and environmental objectives at the heart of their governance model, alongside their economic objectives.
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Looking to the world and to the future has always been part of the company’s identity. The new legal framework does not change the direction it has followed to date; rather, it formalises and strengthens commitments that are already deeply embedded within the organisation.
It also reaffirms what makes Blue Whale unique. “We are not simply a commercial player in the apple market, but a collective of growers with expertise across the entire value chain, from the orchard to the consumer,” Bertheloz stresses.
Four major ambitions for the future
The company’s mission is structured around four major ambitions. The first is to secure the future of its growers and rural areas by strengthening growers’ long-term economic sustainability and contributing to the vitality of the communities and regions in which they operate.
Blue Whale also invests in people and knowledge to develop talent, skills and expertise. Its third pillar is to promote fruit of exceptional quality and contribute to healthier and more appealing diets for consumers.
Finally, it harnesses collective innovation, cooperation and long-term value creation to contribute to the sustainable transformation of the sector.
