Chilean cherry exporters face decisive season

After years of rapid expansion and record-breaking exports, Chile’s cherry industry is at a crossroads. Once seen as a near-limitless success story, the sector now faces a tougher and more complex landscape: saturated markets, falling returns, escalating costs, and an urgent need to maintain quality and consistency while diversifying beyond China.

China remains the backbone of Chile’s cherry trade, absorbing around 90 per cent of annual shipments – equivalent to some 120mn cartons last season. Yet that dependence has become a double-edged sword. During the 2024/25 campaign, a record volume of fruit flooded the Chinese market in an unusually short window, driving down prices and returns. Only the earliest and highest-quality fruit – particularly large 2J, 3J, and 4J grades – fetched profitable prices. Later or smaller fruit often sold below production cost.

According to the 2025 Annual Report by iQonsulting, FOB revenues slightly exceeded US$1.8bn, a 40 per cent drop on the US$3bn recorded in 2023/24.

The slowdown in economic growth in China is also believed to have affected demand, with less inclined to buy an expensive product like cherries, typically associated with holidays and gift-giving. “The scenario we face today is different: supply has grown significantly and rapidly, the Chinese market has become more sophisticated and consumer buying patterns have evolved toward more conscious purchasing,” Andrés Nawrath, sales manager at Copefrut tells Fruitnet.

“During peak weeks, where a large portion of the exported volume is concentrated, small sizes or those that do not meet the market’s expected quality have less value and therefore put downward pressure on the market. Therefore, it is vitally important that as a sector, we work closely with our producers to adjust harvests in the orchards and maximise product consistency, improve packaging and post-harvest practices in our packing plants, and intelligently plan marketing.”

Industry leaders echo this call for commercial discipline. In particular, they highlight the need for a coordinated effort to match quality with market expectations, manage harvest timing, and avoid oversupply.

“It may sound repetitive, but the main way to consistently achieve profitability and differentiate itself is with an excellent product – there are no shortcuts,” Nawrath continues. “Anything that adds value to having a high-quality product should be the strategy to follow. To sustain the business over time we need to focus on improving the entire production chain.”

Containing costs without compromising quality

This starts from the ground up. Against a backdrop of rising production costs and decreasing prices, only productive orchards will remain profitable. Growers are therefore being advised to rationalise orchards, removing under-performing or outdated varieties that cannot deliver large, firm fruit.

Introducing trellised orchard systems to improve picker efficiency and hi-tech irrigation and nutrition management systems are some of the ways in which growers can keep costs in check, while stricter pruning for better fruit size and investment in protective covers, shade nets and automated macrotunnels will help improve quality and sizes and advance ripening to hit that lucrative early-season window.

At the same time, Claudia Soler, executive director of the Chilean Cherry Committee, explains that members of the committee are working closely with shipping partners to expand fast vessel services and prioritise key Chinese ports, reducing transit times and ensuring cherries arrive at peak freshness.

Diversifying beyond China

While China will remain Chile’s most important market, exporters are stepping up efforts to expand across Asia and beyond. According to Charif Christian Carvajal, marketing director for Asia and Europe at Frutas de Chile, the most dynamic growth within the Asian region is in Southeast Asia, particularly Thailand and Indonesia, where demand continues to rise strongly.

“South Korea is also performing well, driven by health-conscious consumers, while India is emerging as a long-term growth market, where cherries are increasingly valued as a luxury fruit for premium gifting,” he says.

Outlining the marketing strategy in place for 2025/26, Soler explains: “Our main focus will remain China, where we will be launching the Chilean Cherry Ice and Snow Festival, a flagship initiative designed to build demand in the run-up to the Chinese New Year festivities.

“This year, we will also strengthen the association of cherries with winter sports activities, creating a natural link between the freshness of our fruit and the vitality of the season, while generating strong sales mechanisms to help drive demand. Our promotional efforts will be concentrated during peak supply periods, ensuring maximum impact both online and offline. At the same time, we will continue to highlight cherries as the perfect fruit for Chinese New Year gifting occasions.”

Beyond China, the committee will seek to reinforce its presence across Asia. “In South Korea, our messaging focuses on cherries as a source of Healthy Sweetness and their low glycemic index. In India, we emphasize cherries as a premium fruit for gifting occasions such as weddings. And earlier this year we also undertook a trade mission to Thailand and Indonesia, further strengthening our commitment to Asean markets and supporting diversification,” says Carvajal.

“China remains the heart of the business,” says Claudia Soler, executive director of the Chilean Cherry Committee, “but diversification is no longer optional – it’s our lifeline.” Last season, shipments to non-China markets rose 53 per cent, reaching 11.5mn cartons, with Thailand and Indonesia leading the growth.

The shift from a “growth at any cost” mentality to one based on profitability and precision will be critical if Chile is to maintain its leadership position. “We can still be profitable, but it requires more planning, market segmentation, cost control, and differentiation,” Nawrath says. “We must adapt quickly.”