Reaching 70 years means experience, successes, and failures—something not every company in the fruit industry can claim. Freshfruitportal.com interviewed Copefrut’s CEO, Andrés Fuenzalida, to learn about the company’s journey.

1962, Copefrut's beginnings

Over the decades, Copefrut has grown steadily. Commercial operations officially began in 1962, with the first apple export in 1969. In 1992, Copefrut transitioned from a cooperative to Copefrut S.A., expanding its management, adopting new technologies, and expanding globally, while maintaining a close, collaborative relationship with growers.

Currently, the company works with 210 growers cultivating more than 5,000 hectares of orchards. Last season, they exported 82,842 tons of fruit across four species: apples, kiwis, plums, and cherries, reaching over 170 clients around the world.

The company continues to grow and strengthen its presence in international markets, supported by strong teams, a clear focus on innovation, and a steadfast commitment to quality and trust with both growers and consumers.

What has been the key to Copefrut’s success?

Our ability to adapt and remain resilient. Strong bonds with our growers, a focus on quality, continuous innovation, and responsiveness to market challenges have been crucial. Additionally, our commitment to people, both team members and customers, has helped us build lasting, sustainable relationships.

What was the most difficult moment the company faced?

The Chilean fruit industry has faced several critical moments that tested its resilience. One of the most memorable was the 1989 crisis over allegedly poisoned grapes, which led to an immediate suspension of Chilean fruit imports and significant financial losses.

Another tough period was when the dollar exchange rate dropped significantly, affecting the competitiveness of our exports. More recently, prolonged drought due to climate change, the pandemic, and the resulting global logistics crisis have presented unprecedented challenges for agricultural production, operations, and distribution.

Personally, one of the hardest periods I’ve had to lead was when we implemented a series of internal restructurings. This involved letting go of a significant number of employees and closing two processing plants. It was a very difficult process. However, these were necessary measures, and today I can say that we’ve moved past that phase. It has allowed us to significantly improve operational efficiency and become a much more sustainable company equipped to face current and future challenges.

In terms of milestones, what sets you apart?

From my perspective, our biggest milestone has been our ability to adapt while maintaining a close and trusting relationship with our growers. Building strong, transparent, and lasting relationships has set us apart.

Also, developing a solid international commercial network, without compromising quality or losing our identity, has been key. Ultimately, our greatest achievement has been retaining our essence and closeness while continuing to grow professionally and face challenges together.

How have you seen the Chilean fruit industry evolve?

The evolution has been substantial. Chile has gone from being a regional player to becoming one of the top exporters of fresh fruit in the Southern Hemisphere, with strong presences in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. This growth is due to favorable climate conditions, the development of logistics infrastructure, the implementation of new production and post-harvest technologies, a strong network of free trade agreements, and a persistent, strategic push to open and maintain markets.

Trade organizations like Frutas de Chile (formerly Asoex) and Fedefruta have also played vital roles in promoting our fruit and addressing industry challenges.

How is Chile positioned against the competition?

Chile remains a significant player, but the challenges are increasing. In key fruit categories like grapes, blueberries, and apples, our leadership position has declined in recent years. This is due not only to external factors like labor, or logistics costs, but also internal ones.

We face several challenges: speeding up varietal renewal, adopting better technology, and responding more quickly to changing consumer trends. These are collective challenges that require joint action.

In your opinion, what are the main challenges facing the sector?

Key issues include the impact of climate change—particularly water scarcity—the shortage of labor during critical periods like harvest, and increasingly aggressive international competition. On top of that, market demands for sustainability, traceability, and certifications continue to grow, alongside very high logistics and operational costs.

Chile also needs to address internal challenges, like accelerating varietal renewal and introducing new technologies and production practices in both orchards and processing plants.

From a long-term perspective, where should Chile head in this business?

Chile should move decisively toward a more innovative and sustainable fruit-growing model, one focused on generating added value. That means prioritizing quality, differentiation, and alignment with global consumer demands, rather than merely increasing export volume.

It’s also important to build a shared strategic vision between growers and exporters. There’s a lot of talk about developing new markets, and while that may sound straightforward, it’s often complex in practice because it can mean lower returns in the early stages.

Right now, comparative clauses—designed to ensure competitive returns to growers—create extra costs for exporters who want to innovate or explore new markets, since they have to compensate growers if returns fall below the market average. This discourages risk-taking and favors following the industry norm.

Achieving real differentiation through quality and sustainability requires collaborative work. The industry’s future leadership depends on strategic partnerships across all sector players. What individual companies do will never be enough to maintain Chile’s competitive position in the long term—we need cross-sector agreements, real commitment, and cooperation to strengthen the entire industry.

Are you planning to introduce new varieties to Copefrut’s portfolio?

About ten years ago, we recognized how strategically important varietal innovation is for our business and our growers. Since then, we’ve taken concrete steps: we created a dedicated varietal innovation department, defined a clear strategy, and set up test blocks across all our fruit types to evaluate and select the best varieties suited to our conditions.

It’s a process that requires time and patience, but today we’re already seeing concrete results. Our goal is to introduce new varieties across all our species, improving quality, profitability, and market differentiation.

Are you working on adding a new processed product to the portfolio?

Our strategy remains focused on fresh fruit, where we believe there’s still plenty of room to grow, innovate, and add value. We’ve looked into processed products in the past, but so far haven’t found options that are attractive enough in terms of profitability, differentiation, or alignment with our current capabilities.

That said, we’re not closing the door. If an opportunity arises that complements our current offerings and brings significant value to our customers and growers, we’ll evaluate it carefully.

*Photos courtesy of Copefrut