"A nonstopfresh start to 2021! After being closed for 5 years, the Vietnamese have opened their borders again for Chilean cherries. We are happy with the reopening of this market as our volume of Chilean cherries is increasing year on year. The Vietnamese market is one of the main markets in South East Asia for Aartsen Asia. In total we distribute in over 15 countries in Asia," tells Gijs Aartsen.
"Aartsen Asia has been active in the Vietnamese market for over 8 years already and with distribution points in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Vinh City we have a widespread in the country for all our products. After the Vietnamese market closed for Chilean cherries the main focus lay for us in cherries from USA, Canada, mainland Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand. With the reopening we see Chile cherries as a very good addition, sea shipments only as no official protocol has been given out for air shipments."
Aartsen Asia has been working together with their partner Frusan on many products including apples, pears, blueberries, pomegranates, cherries and grapes for many years in various markets. A lot of preparation has been done to make sure the best product arrived in Vietnam and on the 14th of January 2021 the container sailing on the CSCL Asia from San Antonio, Chile to Ho Chi Minh arrived in our cold storage. The fruit arrived in good condition which is a promising omen for the rest of the Chile cherry season!""
This container of cherries will be distributed via all possible channels, think of online sales, fruit shops, retail, and wholesale. This way we can see the feedback out of these different market segments and build upon that for the future.
Chilean cherries are a big item for Aartsen as we handle close to 150 containers by sea this season and additional weekly volume by air to multiple countries in South East Asia such as Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea, Taiwan, and Cambodia.
Next to Chilean cherries we also distribute now Tasmanian and New Zealand cherries. In New Zealand there are unfortunately severe weather issues, but we keep working closely with our partners to make sure we have fruit in the markets. To create enough attention, we organise tastings for the different cherry origins and try to stay in the picture with certain promotions and marketing efforts like the Golden Cherry tram in Hong Kong to contribute to the sales which is important in the weeks leading up to the big sales before Chinese New year. With over 135 distribution points in Asia there is a market for many different sizes, qualities, and origins! Together we grow. Stay nonstopfresh.
Gijs Aartsen
Aartsen Asia
T: +852 - 37 02 56 02
M: +852 - 93 86 25 73
gijs@aartsen.com