For the first time in history, cherries harvested in Chile in week 45 have been exported to the European market by sea. "Our import team recently traveled to Chile to visit the farms of our partner supplier C&L, a family company specializing in stone fruit cultivation for more than 50 years," says Carles Martí, director of CMR's Import-Export Department.
© CMR Group
"A visit was paid to the growing areas and the best fruit was selected to become part of the campaign's first shipment of off-season cherries in Europe, which will arrive on December 9 in Rotterdam and will be marketed from week 50 onwards exclusively via our sales network in Europe," says Martí.
It's the first time that a Chilean cherry growing company loads a container to be exported by sea to Europe so early. "Normally, the first Chilean cherries go to Asia because of their attractive price, but this year, given the larger crop, and in order not to saturate these markets, C&L opted to open up the European market much earlier than in previous seasons. As our main partner for Europe, they contacted us then and proposed their strategy, which we accepted with great enthusiasm. This is something that hasn't been done before! Normally, Chilean cherries are sent by ship in late December or during the months of January and February," he says.
The cherries, which were harvested in week 45, departed in week 46 and will arrive in Rotterdam on December 9. The Spanish company CMR Group is in charge of the operation.
© CMR Group
The cherries are of early varieties such as the Royal Dawn and Sweet Aryana, which are highly suited for long journeys, as they are usually shipped to Asian markets, with a journey time around ten days longer than that to Europe.
"Sea freight costs are much lower compared to air freight, so we'll be able to put the product on the shelves in Spain and in various European countries such as France, Portugal, Italy, etc., at a more competitive price, which should allow our clients to boost their sales. We are expecting a good reception from both the market and consumers, who will be able to obtain good cherries at more affordable prices at Christmas time, when they are usually looking for special or unique products," he says.
So, from week 50 onwards, CMR Group will be supplying the first cherries of the Chilean season to all its clients in Europe, thus launching the off-season cherry campaign on the continent, which will last until March.
For more information:
CMR Group
Tel: +34 93 2626600
[email protected]
www.cmrgroup.es
