Iván Marambio, President of Frutas de Chile, stated: “This year, the number of direct Cherry Express connections to China has almost doubled compared to last year. Thanks to this highly efficient logistics system and modern cold-chain and modified-atmosphere technologies that naturally preserve freshness, Chilean cherries can travel more than 20,000 km and reach the Chinese market in just 23 days with exceptional quality and freshness.”
The Port of Nansha operates the largest single cold-storage facility adjacent to China’s largest port, which allows unloading, inspection, storage and distribution of the cherries to take place fully within a continuous cold chain.
Port staff prepared a detailed operational plan specifically for the arrival of the Cherry Express shipments. This included advance planning for access control and trailer dispatch, the creation of two exclusive lanes for cherries, optimisation of traffic flow inside and outside the port area, and pre-testing of every operational step. Thanks to these efficient procedures, the cherries can reach local wholesale markets within just two hours from the moment they are unloaded.
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Zheng Nanshen, General Manager of Guangzhou Jiangnonghui Market Service Management Co. Ltd., explained: “After harvest, Chilean cherries are quickly cooled. After washing, sorting, inspecting and packaging, they are transported to China through an uninterrupted cold chain. They are then delivered by refrigerated trucks to cold-storage facilities at markets across the country and finally displayed in refrigerated retail cabinets. Maintaining constant temperature control throughout the entire process is crucial to preserving freshness. Therefore, consumers should refrigerate the cherries immediately after purchase to ensure optimal quality.”
