As part of the promotional activities carried out in the People's Republic of China to actively promote the distribution and sale of Chilean cherries, ASOEX's Cherry Committee has recently conducted a joint promotion with China Eastern Airlines in which the national cherries were promoted among the passengers of flight MU5119 from Shanghai to Beijing, one of the most popular airline routes in China.
On the flight, the passengers received a gift of Chilean cherries, which also included suggestions and information of how to use them and how to buy the product using a QR code through the online platform www.yiguo.com.
The launch of this promotion project was held at the Hongqiao Airport in Shanghai on December 2. China Eastern Airlines, the Chilean Embassy in China, the Commercial Office of Chile (ProChile) in Shanghai and the Committee of the Cherries Fruit Exporters Association of Chile AG (ASOEX), jointly organized the launch.
From left to right: Li Yangmin, Operations Manager of China Eastern Airlines; Cesar Suarez Director from the ProChile office in Shanghai; Liuwen Tian, CEO of China Eastern Airlines; Jorge Heine, Ambassador of Chile in China, and Carlos Parra, Agricultural Attaché of Chile in China.
Ronald Bown, president of the Association of Fruit Exporters of Chile AG (ASOEX), said: "This type of activity carried out by our Cherry Committee is a unique experience that involves promoting our fruit in airline flights. Thus, not only will we have our cherries in the cargo area of the flight but every passenger travelling on the flight MU5119 from Shanghai to Beijing will also be given cherries. Through this activity we are actively promoting cherries through our various distribution channels, including airline flights and facilitating their purchase through online platforms, such as iYiguo.com ".
In turn, Jorge Heine, Ambassador of Chile in China, said: "There are over 19,500 kilometres between Chile and China, but in recent years we have established long-term cooperation with China in various production sectors. Chile is China's main supplier of cherries, but this would not be possible if we didn't have an efficient and fast maritime and air shipping system between our countries to be able to meet the growing demands of Chinese consumers for quality fruit. We are very pleased to support this type of activity that enhances the diversification of the distribution of one of our main export products to China."
Cesar Suarez, Director of ProChile's office in Shanghai, said the cherries were a very important fruit in China because they take place at a time of the year when there are no cherries in the local market. "Our cherries are available from October, but most of the production occurs from mid-November to late December, which means that our cherries will arrive just in time for the festivities of the Chinese New Year."
It's worth noting that during the flight the passengers showed a great acceptance of the Chilean cherries. "Chilean cherries were large, firm, sweet and savoury. I love Chilean cherries," said a passenger on the flight.
Cherries are a fruit rich in antioxidants, vitamins A and C, and with more iron than any other fruit. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Chilean cherries have been one of the highest selling fruits in on-line stores and most supermarkets throughout China.
"Our cherries are red, shaped almost like a heart, have a fresh taste and are available all winter, all of which makes the Chilean cherries one of the best gifts for family, friends, and loved ones. That is the concept that we are promoting among Chinese consumers through our campaigns, so they can enjoy the Chilean cherries," said Charif Christian Carvajal, ASOEX Marketing Director for Europe and Asia.
Finally, it's worth noting that this promotional project is part of the Chilean cherries promotion campaign in China, and that it has the strong support of the Ministry of Agriculture of Chile and the Office of Export Promotion of Chile, ProChile.