The first Cherry Conference 2023 was held in China with the attendance of nearly 400 importers, distributors and buyers of fresh fruits fruits, especially cherries. 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, between December 15 and 17.
According to Charif Christian Carvajal, marketing director of Frutas de Chile for the Asian and Middle Eastern markets, the purpose of the event was to analyze the growth of cherries in China, as well as the situation of the main suppliers of this fruit, led by Chile, New Zealand, the United States and others.
“Since Chile is the main exporter of fresh cherries in the world and the main supplier of these fruits to China, we had an outstanding participation in the Conference, where we presented the situation of the 2023-2024 season, analyzing the growth of shipments from the moment the Chinese market was opened to this national premium product. Also, we were able to share with the participants, mainly importers, distributors and Chinese buyers of cherries, the promotional actions that we have defined for this season,” commented Carvajal.
He added: “It was an event that caused great expectation, since interest in this fruit in China is very high. There were presentations from Chinese professionals and importers, who highlighted that there is a lot of potential for growth in consumption for these fruits, as long as quality is ensured.”
On the other hand, the representative of the Association of Fruit Exporters of Chile -ASOEX-, indicated that the day included an online presentation made by Claudia Soler, executive director of the Cherry Committee, as well as a welcome greeting from the president of Frutas from Chile, Iván Marambio.
Promotions
“Our plan in the Chinese market involves a series of public relations activities, social networks, 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 is from the second week of January until the Chinese New Year, which this season falls on February 10,” Soler highlighted.
The professional added that to date this Committee has carried out a series of activities in China with the purpose of “making the trade aware of 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 carrying out 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 the launch of the new Alibaba cherry packaging.”
The executive director also explained that visits by wholesale market executives to Chile have been organized so that they can learn about the sector, as was the case of Zhao Zhi, deputy general director 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.”
Some of the presentations were those of Zheng Nanshen Vice President of the China Fruit Circulation Association, President of the Leading Business Alliance of the China Fruit Association General Manager of Guangzhou Jiangfenhui Market Service Management Co., Ltda; Zheng Xu, president 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 Vicent, vice president of the Kingo group. In addition to Zhiyong Dong, Deputy General Manager of Dalian Green Sea Agriculture Development Co., Ltd; and Kurt, CEO of Oheng (Shanghai).
The Conference also featured exhibitions from the Chilean industry, led by Charif Christian Carvajal from Frutas de Chile; Juan Latife Muse of GarcesFruit; Gonzalo Matamala de Giddings. In addition to Victor Wan, representative in China of Northwest Cherry Growers; Zefei Zhou, General Manager of Newyou (Shanghai) Trading Co., Ltd and Shawn Liu of Prize China.
“The conference ended with a visit to the Jiaxing market, where we received some of the first containers of cherries,” Carvajal concluded.
