Posts Tagged “Chilean cherry imports”
An early production surge is giving importers in the United States and Europe a head start on the winter Chilean cherry import season.
The Chilean cherry is considered a premium fruit in China, and producers are hoping to charm shoppers worldwide as the Andean country looks to diversify one of its star products.
Honeybear Brands, based in Minnestoa, is already moving fruit into retail, while Spain’s CMR Group recently unloaded Europe’s first sea container of off-season Chilean cherries. Both companies report strong crop conditions in Chile and expect steady volumes through the holidays.
Honeybear Brands, reports the company is estimating shipments at approximately 125 to 150 loads.
Honeybear Brands continues to position itself as a key supplier for cherry winter demand, highlighting the fruit’s versatility and convenience. The company only imports Chilean fruit; believing it is a superior product to other growing regions in South America.
The company brings Chilean cherries into Washington state and Philadelphia, and says the dual-port model allows it to co-load imported cherries with its domestic apple programs.
The importer expects to expand its cherry program in the coming weeks with additional origins and other stone fruit items.
Chilean exporter Copefrut over 70 years of experience with cherries, apples, kiwifruit, and plums as strategic crops in Chile and foreign markets such as the US.
The company shipped over 3,000 tons of fruit to the US in 2024, with apples accounting for nearly half and cherries for 831 tons.
The firm works directly with some US and Canadian retailers, but that the majority of the crop enters the market through importers on both coasts. Copefrut’s plan in the mid- and long-term is to grow across all fronts, but apples are already ahead, with the company observing a 30 percent year-on-year increase in market share in 2024.
The first Chilean cherry imports of the 2025-26 season arrived by air last month and weekly arrivals have been occurring since.
Chilean distributor Forever Fresh reports the first shipment consisted of eight pallets from Garcés Fruit, harvested in Chile’s central zone.
The shipment was made by air to New York City and included varieties such as Royal Down, Glenn Red, Brooks, and Coral. The second shipment to arrived on, Saturday October 25.
Forever Fresh plans to maintain a flow of shipments every two days, with fruit coming from both Garcés Fruit and Verfrut.
The company noted the first cherries arrived in excellent condition, with outstanding freshness and appearance, being crunchy, with good color and high sugar levels.
In this first stage, Forever Fresh will distribute the product to retailers and wholesalers to meet the initial demand for the season’s early lots.
Chile is riding the coattails of an excellent season by Washington state.
Chile apparently learned a lesson last season that it is not wise to put all of your eggs, or in this case, cherries in one basket.
Chile views the US as an excellent market and opportunity for Chilean cherries. Today, 90 percent of the Andean country’s crop is destined for China, making local producers extremely dependent on the Asian giant. Last year’s oversupply drove prices down dramatically, prompting the question: Should Chile look beyond the East?
Cultivating the US market with counter-seasonal cherries is a great alternative. Thus, market diversification has become a long term goal for Chileans.
There is clear potential in the United States, but Forever Fresh realizes building the market takes time. The company has been investing together with its producers—Garcés, Verfrut, Probex, and Unifrutti—to develop demand and reaccustom consumers to seeing high-quality Chilean fruit during the winter.
The United States imported about 4 million boxes of Chilean cherries last year. Forever Fresh accounted for 25 percent of the market share.
The company projects growth of between 20 percent and 25 percent, with the most important thing being consistency in quality and supply.
It will be of utmost importance to provide that quality and supply for key periods such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day, and Valentine’s Day. Just as it happens in China, where cherries are offered as a gift for the Lunar New Year, Chilean cherries are looking to position themselves as a high-value product and premium gift.
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An unprecedented reduction in the projected Florida citrus crop just a month after its initial forecast has been issued by the USDA.
Florida is predicted to produce only 74 million boxes of oranges, the lowest harvest in 52 years. That is 6 million fewer boxes of oranges than its Oct. 9 projection, an 8 percent decline, and 24 percent below the 2014-15 orange crop of 96.8 million boxes.
The Florida grapefruit shipments have been cut by 100,000 boxes to 12.2 million boxes, but left the projected tangerine crop at 1.75 million boxes. The expected tangelo harvest plummeted by 11 percent over the month to just 400,000 boxes, the lowest total in 59 years.
The increasingly damaging effects of the fatal bacterial disease citrus greening, which has spread to virtually all of Florida’s 501,396 grove acres, led to the reductions. Greening’s most significant effects on the crop are smaller fruit sizes and an increase in the amount of mature fruit that drops to the ground before it can be harvested.
Chilean Cherry Imports
As of mid November, Chile has exported 32,661 boxes of cherries vs. 992,334 boxes (156 tons vs. 4,392 tons) compared to the same time last year. This is a reflection of a delay in harvest dates caused in part by an unusually cold spring, as well as a drop in production due to other weather conditions.
The committee has released a revised estimate of 88,500 tons (17.7 million cases), a reduction of 31,500 tons from its original projection in September and a decrease of 14,500 tons from last season.