Blueberries
Blueberry harvest app: record every tray, pay every picker correctly
At peak season a foreman checks in hundreds of trays a day, and every one of them affects someone's pay. Harvest Wisely records each tray against the picker who brought it in, right there in the field and even without signal. A pay sheet for any period, whether a day, a week or the whole season, is ready to sign whenever you need it.
A day of blueberry picking in the app
- 1The foreman opens the app on an Android phone and selects the block and variety, for example "Block 3 - Duke".
- 2A picker brings in a full tray. The foreman taps the picker's NFC card on the phone or scans the QR code on their badge.
- 3The tray goes on the scale and the app records the net weight, with the tare already deducted. If you pay per tray, the foreman just counts trays instead.
- 4No signal between the rows? No problem. Entries are saved on the phone and sync as soon as it is back online.
- 5The owner can see live how many kilos have come from each block and from each picker today.
Pay by the kilo, by the tray or by the hour, all in one pay run
Most farms pay blueberry pickers by the kilo, some by the tray, and nearly all have some hourly work on top. The app handles all three, even for the same person on the same day.
By the kilo
Set a rate for the crop and the date range it applies to. The scale gives the gross weight, the app deducts the container's tare and calculates pay from net kilos.
By the tray
Set a rate for each container type. The foreman counts trays with +10 / +25 / +50 buttons and can enter a part-filled tray as a fraction. When volumes are high, a barcode scanner or PDA records a tray with every scan, like a supermarket checkout.
By the hour
Sorting, getting rows ready, pruning. Hours are logged alongside piecework on the same day and end up in the same pay run.
Worked example: one picker, one week
Anna is paid €1.00 per kilo. On Wednesday she took an advance, and on Saturday she spent 4 hours sorting fruit at €10.00 an hour.
| Day | Net kg | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 68.4 | €68.40 |
| Tuesday | 72.1 | €72.10 |
| Wednesday | 65.0 | €65.00 |
| Thursday | 74.3 | €74.30 |
| Friday | 70.2 | €70.20 |
| Piecework total | 350.0 | €350.00 |
| Sorting: 4 h × €10.00 | + €40.00 | |
| Advance (Wednesday) | - €100.00 | |
| Total to pay | €290.00 | |
Rates are for illustration only. Pay rules and minimum wages vary across EU countries, and you enter your own rates in the app.
The same day, paid by the tray
Paying by the tray instead (12 × 125 g punnets, 1.5 kg of fruit)? At €1.50 a tray, 46.25 trays in a day come to €69.38. The foreman enters the last quarter tray by hand as 0.25.
Works where there is no signal
Blueberry farms are often out of range of the nearest mast. Harvest logging and hours logging both work fully offline, and the data syncs automatically once the phone is back online, even if that only happens in the office at the end of the day.
What you need
To get started: an Android phone with NFC, plus NFC cards or printed QR badges for your pickers. For weighing, a scale with an RS232 port and a Bluetooth (BLE) adapter. A barcode scanner or a PDA makes counting trays faster. We don't sell hardware, but we will tell you which models work.
Hardware, requirements and recommended modelsOne price for the whole crew, not per picker
Three annual plans: Standard at EUR 159 (up to 35 workers), Pro at EUR 249 (up to 100) and Enterprise at EUR 499 (up to 250). VAT is added at checkout depending on your country. No auto-renewal.
Compare plansBlueberry harvest app: frequently asked questions
How do I track how much each blueberry picker has picked?
Every picker gets an NFC card or a QR badge. When a tray comes in, the foreman taps or scans it and records either the net weight from the scale or the number of trays. Each entry is saved with the picker, block, variety and time.
Should I pay blueberry pickers by the kilo or by the tray?
The app supports both, and you can combine either one with hourly work on the same day. Each rate is set per crop or container type with its own date range, so you can change it during the season, for example paying more on the final pass when the bushes are nearly bare.
Does it work without mobile signal?
Yes. Harvest and hours logging work offline. Data is saved on the phone and syncs automatically when it reconnects.
Can the foreman see pay rates and totals?
No. The foreman only sees harvest logging and the worker list. Rates, pay and reports are visible to the owner only.
How are advances handled?
Record the advance on the day you pay it and it is deducted automatically from that worker's pay. You can export the pay sheet to PDF for signing and to CSV for your accountant.
How much does it cost for a blueberry farm with 60 pickers?
The Pro plan: EUR 249 a year for up to 100 workers, plus VAT at checkout. The price stays the same no matter how many pickers you have within that limit.
Which phones and scales does it work with?
Android phones with NFC. The app reads scales with an RS232 port via a Bluetooth (BLE) adapter. Most features also work on iPhone, but NFC cards and scales need Android.
Try it on this season's harvest
The demo is free for 14 days, no card needed. Add a few pickers, one block and your rate, then work out the pay for a real day's picking.
Start a free 14-day demo