Industry leaders to share insights at Global Cherry Summit

A diverse group of stakeholders will meet at the fourth Global Cherry Summit in an exchange of key information regarding the upcoming cherry season.

The summit is planned for April 20 at the Monticello Conference Center in San Francisco de Mostazal, Chile. 

The event brings together over 900 leaders and international businesspeople from at least a dozen countries including key cherry producing regions, along with more than 70 businesses sponsoring and exhibiting, according to a news release. Attendees are expected to include exporters, importers, marketers, retailers, researchers and industry consultants.

"Although there are great opportunities for cherries in the future, our sector will face important challenges in the coming years, both at a production, logistical and commercial level,” Claudia Soler, executive director of the Cherry Committee, said in the release. “These are all aspects to be addressed at the Global Cherry Summit 2023 as major leaders of our industry come together.”

Cherries have been one of the fastest-growing fruits in Chile and around the world in the last decade, according to the release. Worldwide cherry production in 2022-23 was forecast up over 220,000 tons to 4.7 million tons, largely on surging output in Turkey and Chile, according to a USDA September 2022 report. 

Greater supplies are expected to lift imports slightly to 630,000 tons on higher shipments to the European Union and China. The expansion in supply and demand for the fruit, especially in the Chinese market, has made it a key part of the strategy of regional producers and exporters, according to the release.

However, expansion has been greatly affected by supply chain interruptions and other significant issues in logistics and production. That’s why the 2023 Global Cherry Summit will feature a program that will present an analysis of cherry exports from the Southern Hemi-sphere to the markets of the U.S., the European Union and China.

There also will be a specialized panel for logistical considerations discussing how to navigate in the new scenario. Attendees will be able to access informative talks to share pertinent information and focus on what they will face in the following season.

Andrés Fuenzalida, general manager of Copefrut, a 70-year producer and exporter of traditional and organic fresh fruit and one of the five largest fruit companies in Chile, agrees on the value of coming together. 

"This conference is a meeting point for the leaders and players of the cherry industry in Chile,” he said in the release. “It’s a tremendous opportunity to jointly ensure the strengthening and growth of the business, and thus successfully overcome the great challenges that are projected in the sector.”

The event will offer attendees a comprehensive and strategic vision, according to the release.

"The Global Cherry Summit is a timely and necessary happening, which brings together all the cherry players to assess, together, the challenges that this wonderful industry has ahead," Cristián Tagle, president of the ASOEX Cherries Committee and commercial manager of Agrícola San Francisco Lo Garcés, said in the release.

More information is available on the Global Cherry Summit website.