This past Sunday, Dec. 8, the first "Cherry Express" ship of the 2024-2025 season arrived at the Port of Hong Kong.

Industry association Frutas de Chile reported that the vessel set sail 21 days earlier from the Port of Valparaíso carrying a shipment of 900,000 boxes of cherries, equivalent to 4,500 tons of fruit. Once it arrived, the fruit was transported to the local market in Guangzhou, southern China, where the opening of one of the 250 containers took place.

Iván Marambio, President of Frutas de Chile, and Claudia Soler, Executive Director of the Chilean Cherry Committee attended the inaugural container opening ceremony. 

Marambio said that fruits are the second most exported product from Chile to the world and that "the arrival of the first Cherry Express ship is a milestone that reflects the logistical efficiency and the joint effort of the entire production chain."

"We are proud to continue positioning our cherries as leading products in the Chinese market and to highlight their importance for fruit growing and the national economy," he added.

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A total of 50 Cherry Express ships are projected to depart from the Chilean ports of Valparaíso and San Antonio to China during the 2024-2025 season between the months of December and January. The shipments are scheduled to arrive directly to China, no stops, in 21 days. 

This ensures that cherries will arrive in optimal condition in one of the most demanding markets in the world, which is expected to receive about 90% of the total exports this season.

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Soler added that "the Chinese consumer demand is very important for Chilean cherries, this year we doubled our investment in marketing efforts aimed at further promoting their consumption in 26 strategic cities across China."