After the most difficult season in its history, the Chilean cherry industry is aiming to regain its former strength. The upcoming campaign will represent the decisive test and, according to experts, there is no room for error.
In just over three months, the sector will have to rebuild its reputation through a renewed strategy combining a strong focus on quality with an unprecedented communication offensive.
On January 6, 2025, on the eve of the beginning of the Year of the Wood Snake, a story, initially confusing and lacking verified sources, began spreading rapidly across the social networks of the Asian giant: after eating 1.5 kg of cherries in one afternoon, a woman went to hospital with symptoms of discomfort and fever, which were treated with medication.
After visiting the medical center, she took a selfie showing her swollen face and posted it online shortly afterwards. It was the beginning of the debacle.
Chilean cherries were blamed, rather than an unfortunate allergic reaction to the prescribed medication, which was what had actually happened. But the rumor had already spread and was being replicated at great speed, fueling digital panic across several platforms, including Douyin, Weibo and WeChat.
Within a few hours, the story went viral, dragging down the reputation of Chilean cherries in a scenario already complicated by insufficient quality, record volumes and a high concentration of supply. The case of this woman was, ironically, the cherry on top.
Eight months after the incident, the Chilean cherry industry is preparing to relaunch its business and restore its global prestige. In just over three months, it will have to rebuild its reputation through a renewed strategy combining a strong focus on quality with an unprecedented communication offensive.
During the latest campaign, Chile exported around 626 thousand tonnes of fresh cherries, a record volume representing a 51% increase compared with the previous season. For the 2025-2026 campaign, based on planted hectares, a further 6% increase is expected.
However, attributing the negative results solely to oversupply would be overly simplistic. According to specialists, the industry is facing a challenge that goes far beyond production overexpansion.
Insufficient sizes and quality for a market increasingly oriented toward the premium segment, combined with fake news and weak Chinese demand, created the fatal combination that led to the collapse in prices, which fell by an average of 45%.
One of the major challenges of the new campaign will undoubtedly be to restore consumer trust.
Communication crises are nothing new. The case of the “three jin lady” (3 jin equals 1.5 kg in Chinese) recalled what happened in 2021, when, during the height of the pandemic, Chilean cherries were associated with traces of Covid-19.
The impact of fake news and the role of social networks are now clear. In China, perceptions are shaped by clicks. A rumor spread by an influencer can have a greater impact than an official statement from the Chilean government. And on this front, the cherry industry is still taking its first steps.
A figure that is anything but secondary: 76.5% of the Chinese population actively uses platforms such as WeChat, Weibo and Douyin, the Chinese TikTok, spending an average of 5.5 hours a day on them. And this is not just about young people.
This is why experts now agree on the need for a communication strategy as powerful as the production or logistics strategy. Sending high-quality fruit is not enough. It needs to be supported by storytelling, campaigns capable of creating an emotional connection with consumers, and local spokespersons able to convey credibility.
Héctor Zhang, China marketing director at Frutas de Chile, explains that this year a promotional campaign has been developed on several fronts, laying the groundwork for a season that leaves no room for surprises.
“The campaign aims to strengthen the premium positioning of our product, retain current consumers, bring new consumers into the category and rebuild trust. Specifically regarding the reputational plan, we will work with a permanent team for crisis management, both in terms of public relations and legal matters.”
The goal is to reduce response times and limit the impact of fake news and the resulting copycat phenomena, meaning imitative consumer behavior. “The work will be carried out both before and during the season,” the expert explains.
In this scenario, two figures are an integral part of the social media ecosystem, and their opinions, together with the content they produce and share, help shape the views of consumers and the trade.
It is estimated that around 2 million Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) and 8 million Key Opinion Consumers (KOCs) are active in the Asian giant. The former include industry experts, celebrities and influencers with large numbers of followers, while KOCs are ordinary consumers with smaller but highly engaged social circles.
Frutas de Chile aims to build close relationships with the media and KOLs, providing them with product information, training them and bringing them closer to the category. Essentially, the objective is to turn them into ambassadors for the Cherries from Chile brand, Zhang explains.
At the same time, an annual communication plan will be developed to provide information on the quality and food safety of Chilean cherries. The growing attention Chinese consumers are paying to the concept of food safety is here to stay.
What the industry wants to achieve, Zhang stresses, “is to rebuild trust in our cherries in the market, defend our reputation and image, and amplify positive stories throughout the year.”
Alongside the crisis management and mitigation plan, “there are plans to develop relations with the government and create greater engagement with the category among the media and KOLs,” he adds.
Anticipation is essential. Specifically, a playbook will be prepared that, in addition to identifying the most likely crisis scenarios, will define the operational protocol for each of them.
In addition, the various stakeholders will be trained to respond to different scenarios and “we will conduct daily monitoring of the news to quickly identify stories that could damage the reputation of our cherries.”
“We will conduct daily monitoring of the news so that we can quickly identify stories that could damage the reputation of our cherries.”
Héctor Zhang, China Marketing Director at Frutas de Chile
Beyond the current critical phase, everything suggests that the Chilean cherry industry continues to benefit from favorable conditions. In other words, its ability to return to the path of success that has characterized this crop for more than a decade largely depends on the industry itself.
This view was reiterated during the latest edition of the Global Cherry Summit, the world's most important event dedicated to the sector.
On that occasion, Alejandro García-Huidobro, general manager of exporter Prize, stressed the importance of approaching the business with a greater level of maturity.
“We had 15 very positive years, and today we face a different challenge. The good news is that it is up to us to understand how to reshuffle the cards to achieve greater efficiency and better results. Perhaps the party is over and now we need to become more diligent, stopping the assumption that everything will always go well.”
During the same meeting, Andrés Fuenzalida, general manager of Copefrut, highlighted how crucial it is to obtain a good product this season and maintain incentives for growers. “If it is not profitable for them, the business ends,” he said.
The warning is far from irrelevant. With declining financial returns, growers have in fact been by far the hardest hit.
“No one can save themselves alone from this negative scenario we find ourselves in. That is why we need to be more united than ever.”
Patricio Toro, general manager of Exportadora del Sur
Along the same lines, Patricio Toro, general manager of Exportadora del Sur, said: “I believe growers have a lot to tell us and demand from us exporters. No one can save themselves alone from this negative scenario.
Exporters cannot save themselves alone, nor can growers. That is why we need to be more united than ever.”
Unity, governance and self-regulation therefore emerge as essential pillars in the debate over the future of Chilean cherries. But there is one fundamental principle: without quality, it will be difficult to win back disappointed consumers.
According to Víctor Arriagada, managing director of Forever Fresh, there is no strategy capable of solving structural problems in a single season. In his view, a medium- to long-term perspective must be adopted.
“The strategies have existed for some time: quality, production efficiency and market diversification. The key is to remain consistent and stick to the plan, so that results can be assessed and adjustments made based on several seasons rather than just one.
We are too focused on the short term, and the results of a single season push us every time to want to call everything into question.”
Over the past ten years, Chilean cherry exports have increased by an average of 24% per year, while markets other than China have grown by only 15%. “As a result, China's share has increased,” explains Claudia Soler, executive director of the Cherry Committee at Frutas de Chile.
More than 90% of Chilean cherry exports are destined for China. Although the Cherry Committee runs campaigns in markets such as the United States, Korea, India and Brazil, and some exporters are exploring new destinations, the Asian giant continues to absorb most of the production.
Soler stresses that efforts to develop new markets have meant that, from the 2019-2020 season to today, volumes shipped to markets other than China have practically tripled.
However, “no market is capable of absorbing the volumes currently shipped to China, nor can we suddenly send huge quantities to alternative markets. It is not enough to simply say ‘we need to diversify’.
The work is being done, but it must be carried out with caution and continuity.”
The debate around diversification is nothing new, but the reality is that, with China exerting such an irresistible pull, few have had the courage to look toward other destinations.
“We are too focused on the short term, and the results of a single season push us to want to call everything into question.”
Víctor Arriagada, managing director of Forever Fresh
What happened in China this season should come as no surprise to anyone, according to Víctor Arriagada. “We all knew that we were too concentrated on a single market and that volumes were increasing every year at significant rates.
But no one, or almost no one, wanted to invest in other markets, following the logic that doing so would mean ‘leaving money on the table’ if China was paying more... until it was too late.”
For Hernán Garcés, founder of Garcés Fruit and considered the father of the Chilean cherry industry, the answer to the challenge is simpler than it seems. “This is about quality, staying united and focusing on China,” he says.
He stresses the need to regulate volumes, maintain size standards and continue to rely on the Asian giant, as he explained at the Global Cherry Summit: “Unfortunately, or thank God, this business depends 100% on China.
Look at how much fruit they consume, look at what cherries mean to them. The alternative route still needs to be developed and everyone must make an effort, but it is a long process.
The important thing is what we will continue to do in terms of quality in China. We must not lose focus by chasing the illusion that we can easily diversify.”
Considering the enormous quantity of fruit absorbed by China, however, some see a possible solution in a simple mathematical exercise: if each operator removed a few boxes from that market and sent them to other countries, the price could increase. This is the logic outlined by Alejandro García-Huidobro.
“The problem with diversification is that China has been too advantageous a market. Diversifying is very costly... of course, because it means moving into markets that pay less. The question is: if you allocate 10% of your fruit to a market that pays less, by how much could the value of the remaining 90% increase?
Taking those boxes away from China and shipping them to other markets, I believe, has value. But here we come back once again to the issue of how to establish new rules of the game.
Because sending fruit to new destinations involves risk and a lower return. Perhaps this year all the cherries that did not go to China achieved better results. But we can see that only now.
Then China starts performing well again and everyone rushes back into that market.”
Against this backdrop, the Chilean cherry industry is closely watching two markets that could become strategic destinations: India and the United States. Both offer opportunities, but also present challenges that require the sector to move with great precision.
In India, the potential is undeniable. Today, the core market is estimated at between 30 and 50 million consumers, a figure that could reach 150 million by 2030.
Another attractive factor is the tariff advantage: thanks to the free trade agreement, Chilean cherries enter at zero duty, compared with the 30% tariff applied to competitors from other origins.
Seasonality also works in their favor: the fruit arrives precisely around Christmas, New Year and Valentine's Day, periods characterized by consumption and gift purchases.
“The question is: if you allocate 10% of your fruit to a market that pays less, by how much could the value of the remaining 90% increase? Taking those boxes away from China and sending them to other markets has value.”
Alejandro García-Huidobro, general manager of Prize
The logistics reality, however, dampens enthusiasm. The cold chain is fragile, domestic transport is limited and many retailers do not even have adequate refrigerated storage facilities in their stores.
“Chilean cherries will continue to grow in India provided that we find logistics solutions,” warns Jitender Lohani, managing director of DJ Exports.
“The tariff issue has been resolved, but we need to improve logistics, because it is impossible to grow beyond a certain level by relying solely on sea or air shipments. We need a cherry express to India, with more vessels during the season, strong promotions and consistent product availability.”
At the same time, the United States is once again taking on a significant role. The efforts of the Cherry Committee, growers and importers have enabled volumes to rise from 3 to 4 million boxes in a single season.
“This put pressure on the system, but it worked. Now the key is not to saturate the market in a single year,” says Víctor Arriagada.
The manager is clear: for the next campaign, the limit will be around 5 million boxes. “The critical variable will be volumes and the concentration of shipments. We need to do things properly and maintain growth,” he warns.
“It is not enough to say ‘we need to diversify’. The work is being done, but it must be carried out with caution and continuity.”
Claudia Soler, executive director of the Cherry Committee at Frutas de Chile
The recipe for making this happen combines three ingredients: quality, in terms of appearance, flavor, size and post-harvest shelf life, all aspects on which the United States is particularly demanding; distribution aligned with actual sales capacity, accompanied by retailer promotions; and a competitive price.
“If we want to grow by a further 25% per year, we need to provide the supply chain with the tools required to handle greater volumes within the same period of time,” Arriagada concludes.
Giving consumers what they expect and improving their shopping experience, so that they buy again and, if possible, buy more, sounds simple on paper. The question is: what does the Chinese consumer really want?
“In this market, the product itself is the main factor determining cherry purchases: flavor, quality and freshness,” explains Claudia Soler. But the category has also undergone a process of premiumization, driven by increasingly informed consumers.
This greater sophistication translates into a clear preference for larger sizes. “Among importers, the share of 3J and 4J cherries has increased. At retail level, we are seeing higher consumption of the larger sizes and a decline in XL,” Soler explains.
“Chilean cherries will continue to grow in India provided that we find logistics solutions.”
Jitender Lohani, managing director of DJ Exports
The trends are consistent: high-quality products, at a reasonable price, that also contribute to a better quality of life. Health has become a priority for Chinese consumers, prompting the market to pay particular attention to attributes linked to well-being and food safety.
Against this backdrop, the question is inevitable: will Chile be able to successfully play the “second half” of this game? It has quality players, and that is not in question. What remains to be demonstrated is the effectiveness of the strategy and the industry's ability to act cohesively.
“This 2025, the Wood Snake of the Chinese New Year invites us to look at what has happened, reflect and act wisely. It calls on the sector to transform itself and return to growth with greater strength,” reflects Claudia Soler.
“The cherry is one of Chile's leading ambassadors, a product that has brought dynamism to our fruit industry, and we are convinced that it will continue to do so. The important thing is not to lose sight of what really matters: quality.”
According to a survey conducted by consultant Walter Masman, varieties such as Sweetheart, Brooks and Bing should gradually begin to disappear from Chilean cherry orchards. “Royal Dawn and other varieties that have had a less-than-satisfactory debut could eventually be added to the list.”
Santina, Lapins and Regina are currently the main varieties grown in Chile. The future of the first has been widely discussed over the past year.
However, according to Masman, “Santina has an identity, a brand that distinguishes it from the others, because it has excellent post-harvest shelf life and meets several of the attributes that the market currently demands.
As long as it occupies its natural position as an early variety and is not planted in unsuitable areas, it still has the potential to continue growing. My advice is to harvest it before November 25 or 28.”
Image source: ASOEX
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