This was a challenging year for Chilean cherries. That was one of the main conclusions reached by panelists at the sixth edition of the Global Cherry Summit, organized by Yentzen Group and the Cherry Committee of Fruits from Chile, which brought together nearly 2,000 Chilean and international industry representatives.

Throughout the event, participants analyzed the factors that impacted the 2024–25 cherry season, how the industry responded to hurdles, and areas for improvement.

In his presentation, Mario Edwards, president of the Cherry Committee, said that last season was without a doubt, "the most difficult we have faced in the history of the cherry industry, even more so than the seasons during the pandemic.”

He said many will be wounded by a season in which Chile faced a historic volume of cherries, and where “optimism may have been excessive.”

The president of the Cherry Committee said it was a campaign full of unusual events, “some of which had never happened before in the history of fruit, not only in Chile, but worldwide.”

“We faced sanitary risks such as the fruit fly, which required cold treatment in some markets, fake news in certain markets like China that impacted demand and consumer confidence in our products.”

On top of that, there were extremely high shipping rates, excessively long transit times, and the final blow: the failure of the Maersk Saltoro, which left millions of dollars worth of Chilean cherries stranded and unable to reach the Chinese market on time.

Upcoming Chilean cherry season challenges

“We face equally difficult challenges this upcoming season, along with a trade war involving the entire world and our main commercial partners. We will need to regain the trust of buyers in our products by delivering the preferred quality,” he said.

He added that, as a country, “We will have to safeguard our phytosanitary health, and working together will play an important part in the challenges ahead.”

“Today, there are many players, both inside and outside the industry, urging us to agree on self-regulation - to avoid producing or exporting certain fruit qualities (sizes) that various markets no longer want. This includes not only smaller-sized fruit but also fruit with little or poor flavor and low firmness.”

Regarding the end consumer, he explained that in some markets, clients are already expressing that they no longer want certain varieties because they don’t arrive in good condition or fail to meet minimum quality standards.

“Today, the Cherry Committee includes more than 100 companies, representing over 83% of the total volume of cherries exported from Chile,” Edwards said. “So any commitment to quality, including refraining from exporting certain sizes, must involve all stakeholders, both members and non-members of the Committee.”

“It's imperative to work together and to keep increasing the participation of exporters, so we can see recovery in an industry that has given so much to Chile and its people.”

“We have the duty to restore the importance of cherries to Chile and to the world - a great ambassador of our land,” he emphasized.