First Cherry Express of 2025/26 Season Arrives at Nansha Port, Video Series Details Key Tips for Cherry Preservation

December 07, 2025

Produce Report

The core phase of the 2025/26 Chilean cherry season in China kicked off on Dec. 5 with the arrival of the season’s first Cherry Express vessel. The MSC Lome V berthed at Guangzhou’s Port of Nansha carrying approximately 370 refrigerated containers (around 8,000 metric tons) of fresh cherries from the Port of San Antonio in Chile. After customs inspection, the fruit was transported via cold chain to wholesale markets and cold-storage facilities across the country.

Ivan Marambio, president of Frutas de Chile, noted, “This year, the number of Cherry Express direct-to-China services has increased to 32 — double that of last year. Thanks to this highly efficient logistics system and modern cold-chain and modified atmosphere technologies that preserve freshness naturally, Chilean cherries can travel more than 20,000 kilometers and reach the Chinese market in just 23 days, arriving with outstanding quality and freshness.”

The Port of Nansha operates the largest port-adjacent single-building cold-storage facility in China, enabling unloading, inspection, storage and distribution of cherries to be carried out entirely within a cold-chain environment.

Port personnel have prepared a detailed operational plan specifically for Cherry Express arrivals. This includes advance planning for gate control and trailer dispatching, establishing two cherry-only lanes, optimizing traffic flow inside and outside the port area, and rehearsing every step in advance. With these efficient procedures, cherries can go from unloading to arriving at local wholesale markets in as little as two hours.

For imported cherries, in addition to maintaining the cold chain, distribution speed and efficiency are among the key factors determining product freshness and market competitiveness. In preparation for the arrival and sale of large volumes of ocean-freight cherries, Guangzhou’s Jiangnonghui Fruit Wholesale Market has already implemented comprehensive measures to ensure efficient distribution.

On the morning of Dec. 6, representatives from Frutas de Chile visited Jiangnonghui Market to observe the distribution process firsthand and meet with members of the trade and market management. Zheng Nanshen, general manager of Guangzhou Jiangnonghui Market Service Management Co. Ltd., explained, “After being picked, Chilean cherries are rapidly cooled. Moreover, after going through washing, sorting, inspection and packaging, they are transported to China via an unbroken cold chain. The cherries are then distributed by refrigerated trucks to cold-storage facilities in markets across the country and finally placed in refrigerated display cases at the retailer. Maintaining uninterrupted temperature control throughout the entire process is one of the key factors in keeping cherries fresh. Therefore, consumers should put cherries into the refrigerator as soon as they bring them home to ensure better preservation.”

Best Practice Guide Videos: Detailed Know-How for Preserving Freshness

To support traders in their quest to deliver top quality fruit to consumers, Frutas de Chile has once again released its series of practical guide videos for traders and retailers, based on its “Chilean Cherry Best Practice Guide.” The videos cover cherry harvesting, packing, transportation and cold-chain management, and they also provide professional recommendations for cherry storage, retail operations and promotion. These resources help industry stakeholders improve their product knowledge and sales techniques, further enhancing the market performance of Chilean cherries.

Interested readers can view the videos in the version of this article on Produce Report’s WeChat channel.

CCTV-Produced Cherry Documentary Traces Origins of Trusted Quality

On Dec. 3, with the impending start of the core phase of the Chilean cherry season in China, China Central Television released the consumer-facing documentary “Sweet Miracle,” which systematically captures the entire cherry supply chain from cultivation, harvesting and sorting/packing to cold-chain transportation. The documentary shows how technologies such as modified atmosphere packaging and full cold-chain logistics, along with strict pre-export inspections, ensure freshness, natural quality and product safety throughout the entire journey.

Upon release, the film immediately drew the attention of many industry professionals and consumers, allowing more people to understand the story behind Chilean cherries. Readers wishing to see the video for themselves can find it in the version of this article on Produce Report’s WeChat channel.

Partnering With the Chinese Nutrition Society To Jointly Promote Education on Healthy Dietary Structure

While working to ensure a stable and high-quality supply of its products, Frutas de Chile is actively collaborating with the Chinese Nutrition Society to jointly advance public education on fruit nutrition and advocate for a healthy lifestyle that includes the daily intake of fruit. According to the recommendations in the Chinese Dietary Guidelines (2022), adults should consume 200–350 grams of fresh fruit daily. Fresh, seasonal fruits are rich in nutrients and offer multiple benefits for maintaining human health.

Professor Ma Guansheng from the Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene at the Peking University School of Public Health, who also serves as a Fellow of the Chinese Nutrition Society, pointed out that Chilean cherries are rich in potassium and contain nutrients such as magnesium and anthocyanins. They are an optimal choice for meeting consumers’ diverse needs for a balanced diet and adequate fruit nutrition.

“The economic and complementary trade ties between Chile and China are deeply rooted, and bilateral cooperation has yielded substantial achievements,” remarked Pablo Arriarán, Chile’s ambassador to China. “The Cherry Express is not just an efficient trade channel, but also a vivid symbol of the profound friendship between the two nations and reflects their shared strategic vision of promoting high‑quality agricultural trade. Chile looks forward to further deepening cooperation with China in the agricultural sector, bringing more natural, healthy, and premium Chilean fruits to the tables of Chinese consumers.”