Chilean fruit volumes ramping up as December winds down
Chilean fruit volumes ramping up as December winds down
The Chilean fresh fruit season is kicking into high gear as the first ships from Valparaiso arrive in U.S. ports.
Cherries and apricots are already arriving in significant volume, and quality is outstanding, according to a mid-December press release from Lewis & Neale Inc. in New York, which handles public relations for the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association. Cherry orchards benefited from a cold winter with good dormancy and a heavy bloom in the spring. Air shipments of other stone fruit (peaches, plums and nectarines) have been light, but with the arrival of the first ships in mid-December, heavier volumes are expected in time for Christmas.
Table grapes, like other fruits, have been running late by 10 days or more compared to last year. Volume is expected to be back on track by the new year, and catch up throughout the season as the southern valleys begin to harvest in late January, according to Andy Economou, general manager of Unifrutti of America in Philadelphia.
William Kopke of William H. Kopke Jr. Inc., an importer in Lake Success, NY, who just returned from Chile, saw a good size crop of grapes and stone fruit with excellent quality. "I've seen delays of 10 days to three weeks across the board," he said in the press release. "Movement has been very light so far, but there is a good crop on its way once Mother Nature cooperates."
The Chilean Fresh Fruit Association continues its popular television tag program with coverage in more than 40 spot markets in the United States and Canada. "This proven powerful broadcast effort is designed to remind consumers that when it's winter in the Northern Hemisphere, it's summer in Chile," Tom Tjerandsen, managing director of the association, said in the release, adding that the schedule will be supported by two months of in-store radio and additional promotions arranged with retailers.
Michael Marks has taped a segment featuring fresh cherries for SignStorey, an in-store broadcasting network that was set to be broadcast in more than 1,500 stores the week of Dec. 10. Mr. Marks, known as the "Love Chef," will also appear on television in five markets in the Southeast announcing the arrival of the first large container-shipments, and national media releases have been distributed.
The foodservice industry is a point of increased marketing emphasis. In January, a group of industry representatives will tour Chile, and the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association will be represented at the Produce First Conference organized by the Produce for Better Health Foundation at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone to meet with top chain restaurant menu developers.
Cherries and apricots are already arriving in significant volume, and quality is outstanding, according to a mid-December press release from Lewis & Neale Inc. in New York, which handles public relations for the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association. Cherry orchards benefited from a cold winter with good dormancy and a heavy bloom in the spring. Air shipments of other stone fruit (peaches, plums and nectarines) have been light, but with the arrival of the first ships in mid-December, heavier volumes are expected in time for Christmas.
Table grapes, like other fruits, have been running late by 10 days or more compared to last year. Volume is expected to be back on track by the new year, and catch up throughout the season as the southern valleys begin to harvest in late January, according to Andy Economou, general manager of Unifrutti of America in Philadelphia.
William Kopke of William H. Kopke Jr. Inc., an importer in Lake Success, NY, who just returned from Chile, saw a good size crop of grapes and stone fruit with excellent quality. "I've seen delays of 10 days to three weeks across the board," he said in the press release. "Movement has been very light so far, but there is a good crop on its way once Mother Nature cooperates."
The Chilean Fresh Fruit Association continues its popular television tag program with coverage in more than 40 spot markets in the United States and Canada. "This proven powerful broadcast effort is designed to remind consumers that when it's winter in the Northern Hemisphere, it's summer in Chile," Tom Tjerandsen, managing director of the association, said in the release, adding that the schedule will be supported by two months of in-store radio and additional promotions arranged with retailers.
Michael Marks has taped a segment featuring fresh cherries for SignStorey, an in-store broadcasting network that was set to be broadcast in more than 1,500 stores the week of Dec. 10. Mr. Marks, known as the "Love Chef," will also appear on television in five markets in the Southeast announcing the arrival of the first large container-shipments, and national media releases have been distributed.
The foodservice industry is a point of increased marketing emphasis. In January, a group of industry representatives will tour Chile, and the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association will be represented at the Produce First Conference organized by the Produce for Better Health Foundation at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone to meet with top chain restaurant menu developers.
