Chinese fruit importer Fruta Cloud has reflected on the ending Southern Hemisphere table grape season that saw increased interest in some new seedless varieties, and is now gearing up for the U.S. cherry deal. 

Muscat Seedless table grapes

In a release, the company said that overall it had been a "good year" for grapes, highlighting Muscat Seedless as a "rising star".

"The Chilean fruit industry was blessed with very little rain during harvest, thus most of the grapes arrived without major quality issues. The price point for Red Globes throughout the season has been satisfactory, which facilitated good movement and many return customers," it said.

"In terms of seedless grapes, this year we saw many new varieties gaining recognition in the market. One of the rising stars was Muscat Seedless.

"With its distinct aroma, sweet taste and unique appearance, the Muscat has become a favorite amongst the retail outlets. A few other notable varieties, including Sable Seedless, Inia Grape One and Autumn Crisp, created their own niche followings."

It highlighted that the table grape category in the past had performed "poorly" online compared to other items due to difficulty in handling and delivery

"Luckily, with the rising O2O supermarket chains, such as Hema Fresh, the delivery issue was solved, and the grape category finally got to shine both online and offline," it said.

"We are just at the beginning of the evolution in retail space as we see the Chinese consumer focusing more and more on the seedless varieties and trying out a new way to buy and enjoy grapes."

Hema Fresh, which is part of the major Alibaba Group, has adopted the O2O, or online-to-offline model, and says it is able to deliver orders made through its app within just 30 minutes.

Looking forward to the upcoming California and U.S. Northwest cherry seasons, Fruta Cloud said the focus this year was how to accommodate and build demand for increased volumes, while also extending production seasons.

"The start date of Northwest cherries should be in the first week of June, but with small volumes. The production will ramp up to reach its peak around mid-July," it said. 

Sonnet cherries from U.S. company Chelan Fresh

"This past winter produced very little freeze damage, and the cool, long spring helped to spread out the bloom and thus even out the production to be on a more gradual curve.

"If the mild weather persists, we will see supplies well into the first week of August. Charter flights will be a crucial tool to move the volume needed during the peak. The operation of charter flights requires a lot of coordination, but it is still the best way to deliver the freshest fruit to consumers in China."

The company noted it had introduced the Sonnet cherry variety to China last year, and would build on that success this year.

"The Sonnet cherry has a distinctive pink skin and pink flesh with brix levels consistently above 20. Due to its low yield, Sonnet will continue to be a rare and premium product only for the cherry connoisseur," it said.

"We are proud to collaborate with the Northwest Cherry Growers Association on the upcoming promotion and marketing campaign.

"We believe that the China market still has a huge, as of yet, untapped potential for cherries in the summer. We look forward to another great season."

www.freshfruitportal.com