Leading global fruit brand exhibits at 7th China International Import Expo (CIIE), launching nine new products
The 7th China International Import Expo (CIIE) took place in Shanghai from 5-10 November. Dole, a century-old global fruit and vegetable brand, made its seventh consecutive appearance as an exhibitor at CIIE.
The Dole booth in the Food and Agricultural Products Hall showcased nearly 90 star products, including Dole Sweetio Banana, Sweetio Pineapple and Easy-open Coconut.
Dole also launched nine new products at the show, the most ever, attracting buyers, professional visitors and media partners. The Dole booth was thronged with visitors throughout the event, demonstrating the brand’s popularity as leader in the fruit industry.
Dole pioneered the mode of broadcasting while exhibiting, taking consumers to visit the exhibition online. Online viewers were able to purchase same of the products on display at CIIE without leaving their homes. The live broadcast during CIIE broke the one million-mark in sales, and the effect of CIIE has radiated to a wide range of markets.
Dole attends Roundtable Meeting organised by Malaysian Prime Minister
As 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Malaysia, the export of the first Malaysian fresh durians to China has taken on extra significance during this milestone year.
Dole maintains close cooperation with relevant Malaysian industry sectors and was one of the first companies to introduce Malaysian fresh durian to China. On 6 November, Dole attended the Roundtable Meeting organised by the Malaysian Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, as the only fruit brand. Anwar exchanged views on high-quality development of the Chinese durian market. And together with the Malaysia National Pavilion, Dole held its Malaysian Musang King Fresh Durian New Product Launch and Strategic Cooperation Signing Ceremony at the 7th CIIE.
Musang King durian is the iconic Malaysian durian and represents the gold standard for the category. Dole Musang King fresh durians are grown in key production areas such as Pahang, Malaysia. Dole carefully selects authentic 30-year-old tree durians, and durians naturally fall off the tree when fully ripe. After collection, with Dole’s rich experience in fresh durian operation, all Musang King fresh durians are shipped by air, so that fresh durians can be delivered to domestic consumers within 48 hours at the earliest to ensure their optimal maturity and flavour.
Dole Musang King Fresh Durian has rich flavour with a long-lasting sweet aftertaste and delicate, smooth flesh. The first domestic sensory laboratory ‘Panda Guide’ introduced Dole Musang King Fresh Durian as its recommended product.
Dole also brought the Malaysian Musang King Fresh Durian to the “New Products at the CIIE’ show, which was broadcast live on CCTV the following day. Honouring the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Malaysia, international friends wore traditional Malaysian costumes made from Dole banana pseudo stems to showcase Dole Malaysian Musang King Fresh Durians.
Dole South African avocado launched in China with Tmall
2024 marks the 26th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Africa. It also represents the first year of the Golden Age of bilateral relations between China and South Africa. China-Africa agricultural cooperation has been flourishing in recent years. Against this background of friendly cooperation, China and South Africa signed an agreement on the export of South African avocados to China. As the first enterprise to introduce South African avocados to China, Dole displayed South African avocados at CIIE for the first time.
Dole and Tmall organised the Tmall Double 11 South African Avocado Online Launch Ceremony at the 7th CIIE, deepening their strategic cooperation between and announcing the launch of Dole South African avocado online pre-sale. This immediately ushered in a large number of avocado lovers to place orders. Nomfundo Zulu, political consul of the South African Consulate General in Shanghai, and Guo Min, general manager of food and fresh food marketing of Tao Tian Group, attended and praised Dole South African avocado.
The dry climatic conditions in South Africa help produce avocados with higher oil content, and South African Hass avocados tend to have a rich, creamy texture. Due to regional soil and climate differences, South African avocados have buttery or nutty flavour compared to other origins.
Dole has selected seven star producing regions for avocados around the world and has extensive experience in avocado operations. By combining avocados from different origins, Dole bridges the supply gap between different origins and realises year-round supply, with Dole’s avocado compound annual growth rate approaching 30 per cent between 2019 and 2023. The introduction of South African avocados has further enriched the supply sources of avocados and ensured a more stable supply throughout the year. The ‘CIIE Effect’promotes the position of South African avocados in the China market, so that avocado lovers around the country can taste the cream of the forest from the southernmost tip of the African continent more conveniently.
Dole and Truval unveil first Smurf IP co-branded Belgian Conference pear
2024 coincides with the 13th anniversary of Belgian Conference pear’s entry into China. Dole and Truval joined hands with Belgium’s national treasured Smurfs to launch the co-branded Conference pear.
Smurfs, the classic IP created in Belgium in 1958, accompanied families around the world for 66 years. Today, it has a global recognition rate of up to 95 per cent. It is especially popular in Europe and the US and also famous in Asia. Since it was first broadcast in mainland China in 1985, Smurfs has become integral to the childhood memories of those growing up in the 1980s and 1990s.
On the afternoon of 6 November, Dole and BFV jointly held the ‘Smurfs IP co-branded Truval Conference Pear Gift Box New Launch Ceremony’, leveraging the ‘CIIE Effect’ to help Belgian Conference pears boost their profile in the China market. The familiar ‘blue friends’ – Papa Smurf, Smurfette and Brainy – are displayed on the packaging. The Belgian ambassador to China, Bruno Angelet, attended the ceremony to unveil the Smurfs IP co-branded Truval Conference pear gift box.
Dole introduced Belgian Conference pears to China for the first time in January 2011. As the first company to import the fruit, Dole has been the largest importer and distributor of Belgian Conference pears in the Chinese market for the past 13 years, with a special cooperation with BFV (Belgian Fruit Valley). Conference pears imported by Dole account for 90 per cent of the total import volume. China has become the largest importer of Conference pears in Asia. As a star fruit popular in Europe, Conference pears have been naturally planted and cultivated in Belgium for more than 100 years, and they were selected as the accompanying gift for the economic and trade delegation led by the Belgian Princess to China in 2019.
The Conference pear has attractive sunshine freckles on its skin. In contrast to the crispiness of domestic pears, Belgian Truval Conference pears are very delicate and sweet after softening at room temperature, with a unique aroma. The variety has a very small core and does not need to be peeled. With the launch of Smurfs’ IP co-branded Truval Conference pear, Belgian Conference pear will be on sale soon in the new season, and the co-branded gift box will be sold in major domestic channels.
Dole launches Kung Fu Panda co-branded fruit gift boxes to gear up for LNY
Chinese New Year has always been the hottest selling season in the China market. According to the big data of digital freight platforms, fruit has been the most popular category in terms of freight volume since January 2024, increasing nearly 90 per cent. Fruit gift boxes have become consumers’ first choice for visiting friends and welcoming guests during the Spring Festival. Quality, health and auspicious meaning have become the three most important priorities for consumers in Chinese New Year gift-giving. In response to the market demand, Dole has been selecting seasonal imported fruits and specialty domestic fruits to launch Chinese New Year gift boxes for several years. This has resulted in a 122 per cent increase in sales from 2023 to 2024.
Influenced by the growing national cultural self-confidence, the Chinese New Year gift box market has been using national trend elements more frequently, not least as they are loved by the public. Dole, together with Kung Fu Panda, the popular Chinese IP of Universal, has launched a series of co-branded Chinese New Year fruit gift boxes, which features six Dole star fruits: blueberries; Musang King fresh durian; runny persimmon; kumquat; Ruiyu kiwifruit; and Yangzhi Qiuxiang pear. The range provides healthy and nutritious fresh fruit treats in Chinese New Year gift-giving scenarios. With the joyful image of Kung Fu Panda, Dole will bring consumers a novel and interesting New Year gift-giving experience.
On 7 November, Dole X Kung Fu Panda Chinese New Year Fruit Gift Box made its global debut through CCTV’s live broadcast ‘New Products at the CIIE’. Po and Mei Mei showed up to warm up for the upcoming 2025 Chinese New Year. With exposure to hundreds of millions of viewers, many buyers were attracted and visited the Dole booth for in-depth talks, and to pre-order quantities in advance.
Dole signs up for 8th CIIE and eyes further investment in China
Since founding in 1851, Dole has become one of the world’s best-known multinational groups that produces and markets high-quality fresh fruit and vegetables. Dole’s sales network spans more than 90 countries and regions worldwide. Dole has its own plantations in several countries, with extensive experience in fruit and vegetable planting, processing, cultivation and promotion. Since entering the Chinese market in 1998, Dole has grown to now own distribution centres in ten cities, providing Chinese consumers with high-quality products from all over the world.
China is the most important market for Dole in Asia. Dole continues to be optimistic about the Chinese market, the development of CIIE and the benefits it will bring to Dole. As a star exhibitor that has never missed an edition of CIIE, Dole has already signed up to participate in the 8th CIIE. Dole expects to work alongside CIIE to explore more opportunities in the future. With a 100-year heritage and high-quality produce, Dole will continue to invest into the Chinese market and further enrich fruit categories for Chinese consumers.
