Chilean Cherry Ice and Snow Festival Shenzhen Launch: Positioning Cherries as a Premium Lifestyle Upgrade in Southern China

January 05, 2026

Produce Report

With the Chilean cherry season in China marked by an earlier peak and tighter overall supply compared with last season, the Chilean Cherry Ice and Snow Festival officially launched on Jan. 4 in Shenzhen, marking a key step in stimulating seasonal demand across Southern China. Initiated by the Chilean Cherry Committee of Frutas de Chile, the festival connects premium modern lifestyle concepts with traditional cultural values such as festive gifting and family reunion — placing Chilean cherries at the center of both.

As part of the Shenzhen launch, the Chilean Cherry Ice and Snow Festival, jointly organized by Pagoda and the Chilean Cherry Committee, also featured a themed pop-up activation at Shenzhen Huafa Snow World, an indoor ski destination holding a Guinness World Records certificate for the largest indoor ski area, combining immersive ice-and-snow lifestyle scenes, interactive engagement, cherry tasting and on-site sales to further link Chilean cherries with winter lifestyle experiences and premium seasonal consumption.

Spanning the period from Christmas to the Spring Festival, the Ice and Snow Festival creates a new consumption occasion between major year-end celebrations. It encourages consumers to recognize the limited seasonal availability of Chilean cherries — present in the market for only a short time each year — and to enjoy them as a premium, nutritionally positive choice during the winter season.

This season, timing is especially critical. Owing to adverse weather conditions late in the Chilean spring, the 2025/26 Chilean cherry export forecast was revised downward last month to approximately 110 million 5-kilogram carton equivalents, or 550,000 metric tons, representing a 12.1% decrease compared with the previous season. At the same time, the harvest has advanced by approximately 7–10 days, resulting in an earlier and more concentrated supply window.

Against this backdrop of earlier arrivals and a shorter peak supply window, the Ice and Snow Festival encourages consumers to enjoy Chilean cherries during their limited seasonal availability.

The Shenzhen launch was anchored by a flagship in-store activation at nationwide chain fruit shop Pagoda using immersive retail experiences to expand cherry consumption beyond a single festive moment, highlighting their role in social occasions, everyday indulgence and thoughtful gifting. The activation was supported by on-site KOL engagement and event-linked social media amplification, reinforcing the Ice and Snow Festival’s broader national messaging.

“We are pleased to collaborate with the Chilean Cherry Committee of Frutas de Chile to bring fruits produced by its committee member exporters to Chinese consumers,” said Zhu Qidong, vice president of Pagoda. “Both organizations share a belief that fruit is a conduit for happiness and an elevated consumer experience and serves as a lifestyle upgrade over packaged FMCG foods, which are often highly processed and offer relatively low nutritional density. We are also aligned in our commitment to quality, food safety, and premium fruit experiences.”

“As highlighted in last month’s groundbreaking CCTV documentary ‘Sweet Miracle,’ Chilean cherries are an exceptional product — grown in fertile soils, nourished by water originating in the Andes, and carefully packed and shipped by dedicated farmers and exporters,” said Claudia Soler, executive director of the Chilean Cherry Committee of Frutas de Chile. “They are high in potassium, low in sodium, and contain magnesium and anthocyanins, making them well suited to modern, health-conscious lifestyles.”

Ice and Snow Festival: A National Lifestyle Platform

The Ice and Snow Festival is not designed exclusively for winter sports enthusiasts or cold-weather regions, but as a seasonal theme that travels nationally through retail, lifestyle and festive consumption scenarios.

Running from Christmas through the Spring Festival, the festival will continue to roll out nationwide following the Shenzhen launch, with national launch activities scheduled in the cities of Changchun and Jilin, bringing together government representatives, industry partners, media and influencers.

“The Ice and Snow Festival is a national lifestyle platform,” said Charif Carvajal, marketing director for Europe, Asia and the Middle East at Frutas de Chile. “It allows us to consistently communicate that Chilean cherries are a lifestyle upgrade — over everyday fruit and over highly processed snacks. They support modern, health-conscious living, while also fitting perfectly into traditional gifting and family-sharing occasions. This message is relevant across regions, not just in colder parts of China.”