Chilean and international cherry industry stakeholders and representatives, along with 1,600 attendees, gathered at Chile's largest technical cherry industry event: the CherryTech Convention 2025, organized for the third consecutive year by Yentzen Group and SmartCherry in Santiago, Chile.

The day began with an opening presentation by Claudia Soler, Executive Director of the Chilean Cherry Committee, who presented "A New Strategy for Chilean Cherries."

“Given the industry’s level of maturity, it is essential at this stage to work together, to communicate what’s happening in the markets and what they’re demanding,” said Soler, emphasizing that it had been a “tremendously challenging season.”

China is the main international market for Chilean cherries, accounting for 91% of the export share. The Asian country is followed by the United States and South Korea, with 3% and 1%, respectively. “We can see that, in general, all markets are growing,” said Soler, referring to other export destinations.

Soler explained that the Chilean industry believed it was prepared to handle the estimated production volume heading into this 2024-25 season, with major marketing campaigns and significantly increased resources. “But unfortunately, a combination of several factors happening at once made it a season that, in terms of profitability, did not meet expectations,” as prices dropped due to the increased volume.

“It’s important to realize that not just any market can absorb China’s growth, and it’s not as simple as saying, ‘I’ll replace China with another market.’ Markets need to be developed, and that takes time and consistency (…). For that reason, we’ve been working on developing other markets, but it’s something we must continue doing, and we must grow them gradually.”

Fruit quality and condition have become key factors in the industry, as has the volume concentration in a specific window, particularly for the Chinese market.

For the Executive Director of the Cherry Committee, it is important that the industry keeps in mind aspects such as brand recall and conversion when talking about Chilean cherries. In other words, consumers need to know the fruit is available, recognize it as Chilean, decide to buy it, and ultimately become loyal to the product. “From the moment the consumer discovers the product to the moment they buy it—the first stage is awareness, which means that, fundamentally, the consumer knows the product exists,” she explained.

“Even though we are fully aware that it was a very difficult season, and that the price levels reached were not what we would have liked, in some way we managed to sell more cherries. Clearly, next season we will have to be more effective—not just selling more cherries, but doing so at much more competitive prices,” said Soler.

She explained that after awareness comes interest—generating a desire in the consumer to try the product. Next, the consumer evaluates their options and decides: "I’m going to buy the product."

"It’s no good if the first cherry on the market lacks flavor, is pale in color, and doesn’t deliver a good experience; it’s also no good if a consumer buys cherries in January and faces the same disappointment. So ultimately, it is essential that the consumer experience remains excellent from the very beginning of the season to the very end,” she stressed.

Looking Ahead

According to Soler, the industry cannot withstand another season like the last one. “If the same thing happens again,” she said, “the product will lose the image it currently holds and become a commodity, losing both its value and perceived value.”

“We need to focus on rebuilding trust, strengthening demand during non-festive periods, increasing demand in regional cities—places where category penetration is still low—and, of course, continuing our diversification efforts,” she emphasized.

The event—which aimed to reflect on and address the technical challenges facing the industry—brought together over 80 sponsoring companies and included the presentation of scientific posters.