With the attendance of nearly 400 importers, distributors and buyers of fresh fruits, especially cherries, the first Cherry Conference 2023 was held in China. The event was organized by Frutas de Chile and Guangzhou Jiangnonghui Market Service Management Co., Ltd, and was sponsored by Jiaxing Fruit Market -Haiguangxing Premium Fruit Trading Market.
The event took place at the Four Points Hotel at the Sheraton Jiaxing, China, from December 15 to 17.
According to Charif Christian Carvajal, marketing director of Frutas de Chile for the Asian and Middle Eastern markets, the event aimed to analyze the growth of the cherry category in China, as well as the situation of the main suppliers of this fruit, headed by Chile, New Zealand, the United States and others.
“Since Chile is the world's leading exporter of fresh cherries and the main supplier of these fruits to China, we had a prominent participation in the Conference, where we presented the situation of the 2023-2024 season, analyzing the growth of shipments since the Chinese market opened to this national premium product. We were also able to share with the participants, mainly Chinese importers, distributors and buyers of cherries, the promotional actions we have defined for this season,” Carvajal commented.
The professional added: “It was an event that caused great excitement, as there is a high level of interest in this fruit in China. There were also presentations by Chinese professionals and importers, who highlighted that there is a lot of potential for growth in consumption of these fruits, provided that quality is ensured.”
The ASOEX representative also indicated that the event included an online presentation by Claudia Soler, executive director of the Cherry Committee, as well as a welcome greeting from the president of Frutas de Chile, Iván Marambio.
Promotions
“Our plan in the Chinese market involves a series of public relations activities, social media, activations on online platforms, retailers, fruit stores, wholesale markets and work with the trade. Although our campaign covers from mid-November to February, the bulk of it is from the second week of January until the Chinese New Year, which this season falls on February 10th,” Soler highlighted.
The professional added that to date this Committee has carried out a series of activities in China with the aim of “informing the trade about our 3-year strategy, the promotion program for this season and providing information regarding its progress, as is the case of this first Cherry Conference. In addition to the realization of several workshops/seminars in different secondary cities, visits to ports in line with the strategy of the port diversification committee; participation in fairs such as the CIIE, an import fair where we carry out joint activities with our partners in China, such as, for example, the launch of Alibaba's new cherry packaging.
The executive director also indicated that visits have been organised for executives from wholesale markets to Chile to learn about the sector, as was the case with Zhao Zhi, deputy general manager of Jiangnonghui Market in Guangzho. “In terms of communication and public relations actions, we have prepared a series of press releases and information on the evolution of the season.”
The presentations included Zheng Nanshen, Vice President of China Fruit Circulation Association, President of Leading Business Alliance, General Manager of China Fruit Association, Guangzhou Jiangfenhui Market Service Management Co., Ltd.; Zheng Xu, Chairman of Ouheng Group and General Manager of Haiguangxing Market; Zhijiang You, Founder and General Manager of Jiaxing Fruit Market; Jun Zhou, Founder of Hunan XianguoBang; and Vincent, Vice President of Kingo Group. In addition, Zhiyong Dong, Deputy General Manager of Dalian Green Sea Agriculture Development Co., Ltd.; and Kurt, General Manager of Oheng (Shanghai).
The Conference also featured presentations from the Chilean industry, led by Charif Christian Carvajal from Frutas de Chile; Juan Latife Muse from GarcesFruit; Gonzalo Matamala from Giddings. In addition, Victor Wan, representative in China of Northwest Cherry Growers; Zefei Zhou, General Manager of Newyou (Shanghai) Trading Co., Ltd; and Shawn Liu from Prize China.
“The conference ended with a visit to the Jiaxing market, where we received some of the first containers of cherries,” Carvajal closed.
