Chinese consumers like large, dark colored cherries

In recent years the diet of the Chinese consumer has quietly changed. More and more people choose organic and imported food. They even choose these products as gifts for family and friends. "Chinese people like cherries to be purple and turning darker. They think that the darker the cherry, the better it is; and the larger the cherry, the better it is. Chileans, however, prefer the cheaper, smaller cherries," said Hernan Garces, the chairman of the board and president of Agricola Garces, the largest cherry producer and exporter in Chile. "The cherry that meets all the requirements of Chinese consumers will have a long, dark green stem. It will have a high sugar content and firm fruit flesh. Its color will be between 'red brown' and 'dark brown'. And the fruit will measure between 28 mm and 30 mm in diameter."

"We have established an office in Shanghai, so we can be close to our customers. Our e-commerce business is developing at a rapid pace and creates a snowball effect. We have to plant cherries with even higher quality, even larger diameters, and even darker colors, because that is what the Chinese consumer desires," said Hernan Garces.

Chile is the largest supplier of fresh fruit to China. It is also the number one supplier of cherries for Chinese import. According to statistical data from the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association the cherry export volume from Chile to China increased greatly between the cherry seasons of 2017 and 2018. It already exceeds 125 thousand tons, which is a historical record. Chairman of the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association, Ronald Bown, said that 83.75% of this year's Chilean cherry production will go to China.