Written and reported by Macarena Bravo | Lee esta noticia en Español
The first air shipment of Chilean cherries arrived in the United States, officially kicking off the 2025-2026 season.
In an exclusive interview with FreshFruitPortal.com, Víctor Arriagada, Managing Director of Chilean distributor Forever Fresh, said the first shipment consists of eight pallets from Garcés Fruit, harvested in Chile’s central zone.
The shipment was made by air to New York City and included varieties such as Royal Down, Glenn Red, Brooks, and Coral. Forever Fresh is expecting a second shipment to arrive tomorrow, Saturday, October 25.
“The company plans to maintain a flow of shipments every two days, with fruit coming from both Garcés Fruit and Verfrut,” said Arriagada.
Regarding the fruit’s quality, the executive noted that the first cherries arrived in excellent condition.
“We are very happy with the quality. Being air freight, it presents outstanding freshness and appearance—it is crunchy, with good color and high sugar levels,” he said.
In this first stage, Forever Fresh will distribute the product to retailers and wholesalers to meet the initial demand for the season’s first lots.
After an excellent season for the local cherry powerhouse, Washington state, American consumers have high standards for the fruit, so the pressure is on for outsiders such as Forever Fresh.
“They are looking for large, crunchy fruit, with good color and sweetness. Our challenge is to maintain that quality throughout the season,” he said.
Slowly—but surely—growing the US market
The US market is an excellent opportunity for Chilean cherries. Today, 90 percent of the Andean country’s crop is destined for China, making local producers extremely dependent on the Asian giant. Last year’s oversupply drove prices down dramatically, prompting the question: Should Chile look beyond the East?
Cultivating the US market with counter-seasonal cherries is a great alternative. However, Arriagada is cautious, saying that market diversification is a long-term strategy.
“There is clear potential in the United States, but building a market takes time,” he explained. “We have been investing together with our producers—Garcés, Verfrut, Probex, and Unifrutti—to develop demand and reaccustom consumers to seeing high-quality Chilean fruit during the winter.”
According to the executive’s data, the United States imported about 4 million boxes of Chilean cherries last year. Forever Fresh enjoyed a 25 percent market share.
North American market projection
The Managing Director of Forever Fresh noted that for this season, the company projects growth of between 20 percent and 25 percent. However, he acknowledged that global volumes have been revised from initial estimates.
Arriagada said that, at the moment, the most important thing is consistency in quality and supply, which is why promotion and marketing strategies will have to take the back seat for now.
“We must work together with retailers to activate promotions in key weeks and move the product on time, avoiding old inventories that impact consumer perception,” he explained.
Still, there are unmissable dates that could drive significant consumption, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day, and Valentine’s Day. Just as it happens in China, where cherries are offered as a gift for the Lunar New Year, Chilean cherries are looking to position themselves as a high-value product and premium gift.
Finally, Arriagada called on the industry to continue investing in the US market.
“It’s not just about reacting to a bad year in China,” he said. “We must build a market, invest in quality and promotion, to have real alternatives when the main destinations face challenges.”
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