SANTIAGO - Big, red, sweet and juicy, Chilean cherries have been viewed by Chinese customers as a "trademark" from the Latin American country. Now, the Chilean fruit suppliers are working to entice Chinese customers with new flavors.

"Chinese consumers are always looking for new things," says Cristian Tagle, marketing manager of Chile's largest Cherry exporter Agricola Garces.

The exporter is now trying to open up the Asian giant's market by introducing more products, from grapes to blueberries, avocados and nectarines.

For the exporter, the Chinese custom of gifting fruit over the holidays, such as the upcoming Spring Festival when Chinese families look to spruce up their tables with fruits from around the world, is a particular boon.

Craving Cherries

Agricola Garces, which ships 80 to 85 percent of its output across the Pacific, is responsible for much of China's love affair with Chilean cherries.

The company began exporting to China 20 years ago, at a time when doing so was seen as unthinkable by local producers. Now, Chilean cherries are a staple on Chinese dinner tables from November to March, and this season saw record exports.

"Two years ago, 100,000 tons were shipped, but this year, we will reach 160,000 tons," predicted Tagle, the company's commercial director.

"On January 12, we passed the barrier of 30 million boxes sent to China. It is something totally historical. All this helps us to keep the brand active as the image of 'Cherries from Chile' is still positioning itself," he said.

"Chile will be recognized for cherries more than anything else. It's amazing the contribution that cherries have made to Chile's image as a country," added Tagle, who is also the president of the Chilean Cherry Committee, a division of the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association (ASOEX).

According to Tagle, the strong performance of Chilean cherries in China has been driven by the fact that it is seen as a high-end gift, especially around the Chinese New Year.

"We estimate that Chilean cherries will supply the Chinese market until beyond the Chinese New Year, which will be commemorated on Feb 16," said Tagle.

Nectarines are next

Building on the success of the cherry, Agricola Garces is eyeing another export for the Chinese market: nectarines.

The company is banking on this peach variant to prove a hit, since Chile produces its best fruit during the austral summer of the Southern Hemisphere, when China is in the depths of winter. Some 3 million boxes of the fruit will begin to leave for China this month.

"We are quite hopeful to see how the market receives nectarines... I am very confident that the Chinese market will benefit us, but it is up to us to deliver a good product, consistent and with good taste," said Tagle.

Part of that effort will include a promotional campaign since nectarines are new to some parts of China, he noted.

"It is a fruit that's familiar in China's large eastern cities, but inland the imported nectarine is still an unknown product. Efforts to promote Chilean nectarines are being studied and we hope to have a good result," Tagle added.

"The bulk of the nectarines will be sold after the Chinese New Year, between February and March. We will see how this campaign does," he said, adding "this year will be critical to see if China can absorb this kind of volume."

New flavors for China

"If a variety (of fruit) is available 12 months a year, it will become boring. But some of our varieties from Chile are available only two weeks a year. They run to buy it because next week, it will be gone," he explains.

Besides being confident that the allure of new flavors will entice Chinese customers, Tagle is also optimistic about China opening up more fruit protocols for Chilean produce.

The nectarine protocol was opened in 2016, which was a big moment for Agricola Garces, giving it another platform in the Chinese market. Now, Tagle believes that Chile has proved itself and future protocols will be approved more quickly.

"Cherries, grapes, blueberries and avocados are already open. We are waiting for pears. After pears, we will have citrus fruit, namely oranges, clementines and mandarins," he said.

In addition, the natural complementarity between China and Latin America is another factor helping to expand trade, Tagle noted.

"Our summer takes place during the Chinese winter, so we are not seen as direct competitors. The United States, with its fruit-producing capacity and similar seasons, is seen as much more of a competitor," he said.