San Miguel has shipped Argentinian lemons to China for the first time following the new protocol signed between the two countries at the end of 2019.
The 24-tonne consignment departed the port of Buenos Aires on 2 July and will arrive in China in early August. Once in China, the lemons will be marketed at the Jiangnan wholesale market, online retail stores and tea shops from the Guangzhou region.
The Argentina-headquartered citrus specialist will also be sending a further 21 tonnes of Argentinian lemons from Chile, a route that the company has used before to reach Asia by the Pacific Ocean with a lower transit-time.
Juan Martín Hilbert, regional commercial manager for America and Asia of San Miguel, said the lemons would be particularly suited for the Chinese market.
“Tea shops are very popular in China and lemon is one of the main ingredients that they use to flavour the infusion,” said Hilbert.
“The 138 calibre, a smaller size, is the Chinese consumer’s favourite since it fits perfectly in the cup of tea.”
Even though it is the first time that the company has an open protocol with China for lemon, the company’s presence in the Asian country is not new. San Miguel has been company has been exporting oranges from South Africa and table grapes and mandarins from Peru.
Hilbert said this shipment represents a great opportunity from the lemons of Tucuman province, that from now on will be in one of the larger and more competitive markets of the word.
“We seek to keep developing this new destination for our lemon and to continue growing in this market that has a huge potential,” concluded Hilbert.
