Chilean Cherry Ice and Snow Festival Launches in Hunan With Greenery

January 13, 2026

Produce Report

On Jan. 11, the Chilean Cherry Ice and Snow Festival marked its Hunan launch in Changsha, held with Greenery, a Hunan-based fruit retail chain that is one of the largest fruit retailers in China. The launch event took place at Changsha’s Xiangjiang Snow Park indoor skiing area. This event attracted over 2,500 in-person attendees and over 640,000 online viewers, while more than 1,300 stores utilized promotional materials for the Ice and Snow Festival.

Initiated by the Chilean Cherry Committee of Frutas de Chile, the festival positions Chilean cherries as a signature winter fruit by linking modern lifestyle consumption with traditional occasions such as festive gifting and family reunion, while highlighting their limited seasonal availability during the winter months.

The launch brought together representatives of the Changsha municipal government and Chinese fruit associations; Alberto Cañas, trade commissioner of Chile in Shanghai; senior executives from Greenery and Frutas de Chile, including Ivan Marambio, president of Frutas de Chile, and Claudia Soler, executive director of the Chilean Cherry Committee; Chilean exporters; and founders and senior executives from 150 fruit enterprises.

Since Christmas, the Chilean Cherry Ice and Snow Festival has been rolling out nationwide across both online and offline retail channels, including the southern China launch on Jan. 4 at Shenzhen Huafa Snow World and the national launch on Jan. 10 at Changchun Ice and Snow New World, as part of a coordinated winter campaign across key consumption markets.

This year, market timing is especially critical, with Chilean cherry exports for 2025/26 expected to be around 12% lower than the previous season. At the same time, harvesting has advanced by approximately 7–10 days, bringing cherries to market earlier and concentrating availability into a shorter window. Against this backdrop, the Ice and Snow Festival plays a strategic role as a standalone seasonal and cultural platform — creating clear winter consumption occasions, extending engagement beyond traditional gifting and encouraging consumers to enjoy Chilean cherries while they are at their best.

Since the Chile–China Free Trade Agreement came into force in 2006, bilateral trade has expanded rapidly, reaching $61.66 billion in 2024 — the highest per-capita trade level between China and any South American country. Chilean cherries are one of the clearest symbols of this relationship, with exports to China reaching nearly $3.3 billion in the 2024/25 season, making them a healthy winter indulgence and a seasonal daily luxury for Chinese families.

Alberto Cañas, trade commissioner of Chile in Shanghai

We are pleased to work with Greenery to bring premium Chilean cherries to consumers in Changsha and across Hunan. Greenery is a highly professional organization and a vital partner in Frutas de Chile’s promotional efforts this season and in previous years. Our two organizations share a strong commitment to quality, food safety, and the belief that fruit is a conduit for joy. For Chilean cherries, this means that from careful cultivation and selection at origin to strict quality control and long-distance cold-chain transportation, every step is designed to preserve freshness, nutrition and eating quality. As a result, Chilean cherries are enjoyed throughout the winter as a premium seasonal fruit — shared at home, with friends, and as a healthy lifestyle upgrade.

Ivan Marambio, chairman of Frutas de Chile

The Ice and Snow Festival is a national lifestyle platform. It allows us to consistently communicate that Chilean cherries are a lifestyle upgrade — over everyday fruit and highly processed snacks — while fitting naturally into traditional gifting and family-sharing occasions across all regions of China.

Claudia Soler, executive director of the Chilean Cherry Committee