Members of the Chilean and international fresh produce business came together to network and take in insightful discussions in Santiago
Chilean fresh produce exports are set to power ahead in the coming years and the country’s industry is committed to quality and innovation in support of this growth.
This was a key takeaway from the Summit in Chile – organised by Fruit Logistica and Asia Fruit Logistica, in partnership with ProChile and Fruitnet – held in Santiago on 22 October.
The event was the first in a roadshow of Meet Ups held to showcase industry innovation, deepen connections in key markets, and build even greater momentum for Fruit Logistica and Asia Fruit Logistica in 2025.
Scheduled on the eve of the Chilean cherry season the content programme provided a preview of the key export period and provided insights on broader issues affecting the industry such as logistics, technology and sustainability.
Natalia Cortes, ProChile’s head of Asia & Oceania opened the half-day programme with a presentation on Chilean exports. She drilled down into the importance of the Asian market, particularly China, highlighting opportunities for cherries, citrus and stonefruit.
Cortes was followed by Frutas de Chile’s Ignacio Caballero, who shared an outlook for a number of Chilean fresh produce categories and their export prospects. He spotlighted the opportunities across Chile’s key markets, Europe, the US and Asia, sharing the efforts Frutas de Chile was making in market development.
Caballero said Europe had been a relatively stagnant market but it still offered opportunity under the right circumstances. He shared his excitement for grape exports to the US under the newly agreed Systems Approach.
In Asia, China still shows room for growth particularly in second- and third-tier cities and India was an important market on the radar even though it remains in the very early stages of development for Chilean fruit.
Caballero emphasised the need to focus on maintaining quality and said varietal renewal efforts across several categories were progressing well, which combined would enhance Chile’s offering.
The second session of the day homed in on cherries and Gonzalo Matamala Ortiz, Giddings Fruit’s general manager Asia Pacific and China and Rabobank senior FAR analyst Gonzalo Salina shared their thoughts on the upcoming season.
Benjamín Vicuña, Maersk’s cold chain solution designer South America & Caribbean and María Eugenia Fernández, head of commercial Chile of Liventus Global kicked off the second half of the programme with a discussion on logistics.
The pair discussed how the fresh produce supply chain was evolving in Chile, and in its target markets.
Efforts to diversify ports and develop land-side logistics services in China were helping cherry exporters better service new markets in the Asian nation.
Striving for similar progress in less developed markets would also help export growth and maintain quality in-market.
Eugenia Fernández noted the increasing use of controlled atmosphere was crucial in helping Chilean exporters service markets further abroad.
The event finished with a session covering technology and sustainability.
Luis Lautenschlaeger Feijoo, marketing specialist at Hispatec – Agrointelicencia, shared the importance of visibility for fresh produce businesses.
Digitising operations and ensuring connectivity across a company is a necessity for a modern fresh produce business, he argued.
Alejandro Rogers, Sercotec Santa Cruz business centre coordinator, delved into new approaches to production. He shared how Chilean growers were employing organic and biodynamic agriculture techniques and utilising natural fertilisers to enhance their crops.
He was joined by grower Christian Velasquez who shared some practical insights into the implementation of these techniques.
