In mid-August, the Chilean Fruit Cherry Committee elected Mario Edwards Correa as its new president, who will lead the entity for the next two years.

Edwards is currently the commercial manager of Agrofruta S.A. and has extensive experience in the Chilean fruit-producing and exporting sector, especially cherries. Since 2019, he has been on the Board of Directors of Frutas de Chile.

He said that cherries have been the main force of Chilean fruit growth in recent years. “This coming season we could surpass the milestone of exporting more than 100 million boxes. That forecast is causing a lot of expectations about how the markets will react, and also some concern, since there would be a significant increase in expected volume.”

He explained that the committee has been carrying out promotional activities that will have continuity. “With the growth in the volume of cherry production expected in coming years, the challenge is to incorporate new markets, as well as to recover more mature markets in which we have lost presence, such as Europe and England,” he said.

To achieve success, he added that it is essential to maintain the commitment of current partners and incorporate new exporters.

“I believe that the focus should be on keeping partners motivated, so that they feel they are an important part of the effort being made, not only at the promotional level, but also at the sanitary, logistical, and political levels, creating important links with the authorities of each country," said Edwards.

Markets

The newly elected leader added that diversification should not be so challenging and that for new markets to be reached, they have to find real clients and demand, not just on paper”.

He added that, after winning over customers, the programs must be set, achieving competitive prices and the necessary results to create the need to increase consumption with promotional campaigns that the committee could generate.

As for China, he said that it is the most relevant market for Chile, “because of what cherries mean to them, with 90.9% of total shipments last season”.

He commented that in second place is the United States, with only 3.4%, “so it is clear that the focus is on China and will remain there. For this reason, the incorporation of new cities to the commercialization of cherries is an objective that the committee has had as a central objective for several seasons”.

However, Edwards explained that there are other priority markets for promotion, such as South Korea, China-Taipei, and India, in addition to the United States.

As for India, he pointed out that it is an interesting market, although still very incipient with 444 tons exported last season. “It is within the priorities, but we have to come up with an industry-wide plan to address that market,” he said.

China

The size of the Chinese market for the Chilean cherry industry is of major importance, but given the projected growth in the volume exported, it imposes a great challenge in terms of new consumers, who must be captivated, seeking their entry into the category.

“We must encourage new consumption instances, which will allow us to increase the basket size and frequency of current consumers of Chilean cherries,” he said.

Last season, the Cherry Committee defined a three-year campaign in the Chinese market, where the objective was to increase consumption, especially in those segments of the population and cities where they were not reaching, mainly regional cities other than the more traditional ones (Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing, among the best known).

Edwards emphasized that the Committee's vision is to inspire the “Red Moment” every day and generate an emotional connection with the consumer, making Chilean cherries a premium winter snack for those who seek to taste the simple and healthy pleasures of life.

He said that before launching the campaign in China, they had worked on refining and deepening the strategy, adapting to the changes that the market has been experiencing, and incorporating new consumer trends.

“New agencies have joined the process, which will allow us to refresh our campaign, both in its creative design and its execution,” he said.

Quality

Edwards reinforced the importance of fruit quality, stating that “without quality, the business becomes very risky.”

This implies that it is necessary to perform all the steps of the production and export processes optimally, from the fieldwork (pruning, thinning, and harvesting, mainly), to the packaging and cooling process carried out on time, to be able to ship in reliable shipping services.

“By complying with the above, we will arrive with a good product that is fresher and more attractive to end consumers.”

Challenge

The cherry season, which should begin in mid-October, presents a major challenge: the presence of fruit flies in areas where they have not been present for a long time, “which creates new operational challenges for the industry. We remain confident and optimistic about this business,” said Edwards.

He explained that there has been a great deal of coordination work by the Agriculture and Livestock Service (SAG), Chinese Customs, and Frutas de Chile, together with producers and exporters, with trips to China, multiple meetings, and proposals to address this situation.

He indicated that among the proposals accepted by the Chinese Customs is to move fruit between quarantined areas, complying with the requirements.

This, he says would give more peace of mind and flexibility to the orchards in the Chimbarongo area since they will be able to pack in the San Bernardo area since there is not enough packing capacity in the area for all the quarantined fruit.

He also emphasized that cold treatment would be allowed in warehouses: “We are waiting to be able to make the range of temperatures and days required for cold treatment more flexible, as is done for other species from other origins”.

He pointed out that many exporters have understood that mutual collaboration is essential to face these situations.

Another challenge facing the sector is varietal change. In this regard, he explained that it has been a major concern of fruit growing in recent years, a challenge that has been repeated in other species, such as grapes and stone fruits, with very different results. “In the case of cherries, we have three varieties that represent more than 82% of exports in the last season, so clearly there is an issue to develop, or at least to discuss.”

Edwards concluded by saying that the industry must find earlier varieties than Santina, later than Regina, but that at the same time are more productive, of larger caliber, with more firmness, greater sweetness, and that also withstand the trip to the different markets.