The final shipment of Giddings Cerasus Chilean cherries arrived at their final destination in three Chinese markets on March 22: Guangzhou, Jiaxing, and Shanghai.

More than 90,000 kg, nearly 200,000 lbs, of the Cerasina cherry variety arrived in China on March 18 on the vessel Seaspan Belief.

This is the second year that Giddings, with headquarters in Chile, has exported this variety, which they say has enjoyed “excellent demand and prices.”

Gonzalo Larrain, commercial manager of Giddings Cerasus, explained that they grow this late variety in southern Chile, near Osorno. This year the company shipped 200,000 kg, about 440,000 lbs, of Cerasus cherries. 

“As a company, we are expanding plantations for this variety and experiencing an interesting demand from other companies who wish to obtain our sub-license to grow the variety. We forecast strong growth in the future,” Larrain said. 

In January, Chilean cherry exports to China reached a record volume of 365,968 metric tons by week 4.

The peak of the season in February falls during the Chinese New Year, when cherries are a common gift for the occasion. 

Ramon Arrau, CEO of Giddings Cerasus, said they plan to take the Cerasina variety to other markets in Asia. 

“As a company, we embarked on the long journey of targeting the Chinese New Year beyond the traditional time frame, and today we can see from the markets that we are in a privileged position with the Cerasina variety,” he said. 

Commenting on a general view of the Chilean industry, Gonzalo Matamala, General Manager of Giddings Fruit Asia & China, says it is at a mature stage.

“We see that the industry can adapt to the different times of the Lunar New Year and to the weather conditions in Chile,” Matamala said. “That is to say, we can have cherries later or earlier according to the Chinese New Year, while responding to climate changes at the origin.” 

He added that the season started slow and with volumes that lowered expectations.  However, they were able to turn this around, ending with historical prices and excellent fruit quality. 

“Members of the industry know what they are doing, and they manage the Chinese market well,” Matamala said. 

Chile sends 94% of its cherry exports to Asian markets. About 3% goes to the United States, 2% to Latin America, and around 1% to Europe, Canada, and the Middle East.