Chilean cherries, which were once regarded as the "Hermes of fruits" in winter, have sold so dismal this winter that they cannot simply be described as "not optimistic".
Click on today's hot search list, and there is an entry in the top 10 popularity: cherries are cheaper by 60 yuan per catty.
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This shockingly exaggerated figure comes from a well-known wholesale fruit market in the Beijing area.
According to the statistics of the market, since November 2023, the newly planted Chilean cherries have entered the Chinese market one after another, and 7 batches have arrived so far.
However, to the surprise of market managers, Chilean cherry production has increased significantly this year, but sales are far from meeting expectations, and retailers are not willing to buy goods.
In desperation, the wholesale price of these batches of cherries had to drop again and again, and the average price of goods has fallen from the initial 120 yuan per catty to 60 yuan.
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Once upon a time, eating sweet and crisp imported cherries in winter was still a "light luxury fashion".
Many families will choose to carry a box home in winter, children and adults love to eat, and it is also more face-saving to entertain guests.
But with the end of the New Year's Day holiday, this year's winter is already halfway over, why can't Chilean cherries, which were once popular in the Chinese market, not sell?
Thanks to the popular science videos of many self-media bloggers specializing in agriculture, in recent years, the Chinese people have gradually realized:
This so-called "cherry", which sells at a high price in China, is actually a sweet cherry variety native to Europe, which is a cousin of our native cherry.
So, since cherries are a fruit that originates from Europe, why is the most mainstream production area in the world now in Chile in South America?
This is also thanks to the Age of Discovery in the 16th century, which found the best second home for this cherry variety in the world.
Presumably readers and friends will remember that the middle school geography teacher once said that Chile is the longest and most narrow country in the world, spanning 20° south latitude to 56° south latitude, and the climate gap between north and south is quite large.
Because of this, cherries ripen at different times on plantations across Chile and can be shipped steadily one after another.
From October to February, Chilean cherries are harvested for up to 5 months, which is a unique advantage that is absolutely unique to the world.
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Moreover, as we all know, most of the world's existing major developed economies are located in the northern hemisphere, and the residents of these countries and regions generally have stronger spending power.
The ripe harvest of Chilean cherries coincides with the relatively barren winter of the northern hemisphere, so it has a huge export advantage and does not have to worry about running out of sales.
In addition, because Chile is located on the southeast coast of the Pacific Ocean, there is not much rain in the summer, and the sun is abundant, so the cherries produced are high in sugar and generally of good quality.
Its own quality is excellent, and there are few competing products in the same period, and the Chilean cherries stacked with several buffs are difficult to think of in the winter of the northern hemisphere.
In 2008, in order to meet the consumption needs of the general public, the mainland signed an agreement with Chile to allow the import of Chilean sweet cherries and plums that meet quarantine standards.
Since then, "cherries", a fruit packaged with foreign names, have entered the Chinese market for the first time, setting off a trend.
As the world's second-largest economy with a population of 1.4 billion, the Chinese market has always been a battleground for overseas exports, and Chilean cherries are no exception.
If a freighter arrives in East Asia from South America, it will need to call at major ports on the Pacific coast to increase shipping profits.
However, on the other hand, the voyage of a freighter at sea is also relatively longer, about a month.
The longer transport time will undoubtedly have a negative impact on the quality of fresh fruits such as cherries.
In order to meet the needs of the Chinese market, the Chilean side specially designed a "cherry express" route from Chile to Shanghai, the whole cargo ship only transports cherries, and the maximum load can be as high as 4,900 tons.
The two-point direct route has been used to reduce the arrival time to Chinese ports to 22 days, thus ensuring that the cherries can be delivered at a good price.
In addition to fighting for the speed of transportation, Chilean cherries have also put a lot of effort into quality control in order to win the Chinese market.
As mentioned above, Chilean cherries are generally harvested from October to February, which coincides with the Chinese New Year holiday, so it is also aimed at the Chinese New Year market.
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During the Chinese New Year, it is generally the time when Chinese spend the most money, and buy things more attention to quality, and price is secondary.
As a result, Chile's Cherry Export Council also issued a special guideline in 2021, stipulating that cherries exported to the Chinese market must be "large fruits", that is, larger than XL in size.
Generally speaking, the size of the fruit must be larger than a one-yuan coin, and it must look fruitful and delicious, which is more popular with the Chinese.
There is a Chinese saying that "the flame is high when everyone gathers firewood", and the Chileans in the southeast corner of the Pacific Ocean seem to know this well.
It is worth mentioning that in order to better promote the brand of Chilean cherries, the growers have shown a rare unity in the business world.
In order to facilitate unified management, Chileans have set up a special association of fruit exporters, and the cherries are received and exported by the association, and then sold all over the world under the same brand.
Of course, more than 90% of Chilean cherries end up in the Chinese market, and the annual revenue for Chile has reached $2 billion.
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In addition to in-house producers for quality assurance, Chileans are also willing to spend money on cherry marketing.
According to statistics, in order to maintain the large and high-potential Asian market, the association also spends more than $5 million a year on marketing.
If you are interested in observing, you will find that the number of advertisements placed by Chilean cherries on major new media channels is increasing year by year, and the tempting large red cherries from across the ocean are striving to swipe your major short video platforms and shopping apps.
It can be said that the consumption mentality of the Chinese people of "good face and fresh picture" has been fully grasped by Chilean cherry growers.
And this is also the key to the high price of cherries in the past few years, but still sell a considerable amount.
But judging from this year's cherry sales, the Chileans' combination of targeting Chinese consumers is failing, what is the reason?
I have to admit that in the past three years, Chinese's consumption concept has changed dramatically.
Indeed, over the past 40 years or so of reform and opening up, the economic level of the Chinese people has been greatly improved, and with a small amount of money in their pockets, they are willing to improve their quality of life from time to time.
But after this special period, a large number of consumers have realized that the most critical factor in making money in the past is not their own ability, but the luck that comes with the times.
Chinese have always paid attention to being prepared for danger in times of peace and preparing for rainy days, and this sudden change has also made consumers gradually sober up, should avoid the trap of consumerism, reduce unnecessary spending, and put money in their pockets to be most at ease.
After all, the fruits that can be eaten in winter are not only high-priced cherries from Chile, but also domestic fruits and pears in supermarkets.
Compared with spending money to buy face, it is most practical to live a good life.
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When consumers no longer deliberately pursue a "sense of luxury" and begin to pursue cost-effectiveness, those products that account for the majority of marketing are also destined to begin to decline.
As we all know, the first factor that determines the pricing of commodities is the relationship between supply and demand.
No matter how good the quality of the product is, no matter how wonderful the story and concept are on it, once consumers have no desire to buy, the price will inevitably fall, and cherries are no exception.
At the same time, due to the considerable sales of cherries in China in previous years, the number of new local growers in Chile is gradually increasing, and with the increase in production, the situation of oversupply has also begun to force the price to be lowered.
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Similarly, in recent years, the lotus mist, Saga fruit, and sunshine rose grapes, which have been very popular in China, have become affordable under the background of the soaring production and the reduction of the cost of cold chain transportation technology.
The current wholesale price of Chilean cherries at 60 yuan/kg may not be the end, because this winter, only half of it has passed.
With subsequent Cherry Express flights arriving at Chinese ports in January and February, it is believed that the price of Chilean cherries should have room to fall.
But in the end, the Chinese still have an old saying, called "I am happy to buy a thousand dollars", if you really like to eat, then there is no need to grieve your mouth, even if the current price is still relatively expensive, it is okay to buy some to try it.
In any case, because imported fruits come with tariffs and transportation costs, it is also destined that the price cannot be reduced to the same level as the mainland, and it is understandable that it is relatively expensive, so it is only necessary to keep the premium as low as possible.
It is hoped that in the future, the mainland will also be able to master the relevant planting technology to help cherry lovers "bring down" the price.
Here Aite @Guangxi old watch, it's up to you.
-End-
Resources:
21st Century Business Herald: "Big Dive, Price Halved in a Month!
Shanghai Jiading: "This year's imported cherries know how to reduce prices!"
Yi Shang Yi: "Chilean Cherries, Why Have They Been Popular for So Many Years?"
Author: Lu Yao
Editor: Ichiyigi