GP Graders has expanded its team of support staff in Chile, as it aims to provide Chilean and Peruvian blueberry growers and packers with assistance, maintenance and local industry knowledge and advice.
The recent boom of Chilean and Peruvian fresh product exports, particularly in blueberries and cherries, has led the group to grow its team to assist growers and service the market.
“By expanding the Chilean team, we hope to assure South American growers that their innovative grading solutions are serviced and maintained correctly, and that support is not far away,” said Stuart Payne, CEO of GP Graders.
Committed to Chilean growers and packers, GP Graders has had a dedicated team on-site for many years now. The company deployed its team to increase its ability to service demand and ensure efficient response maintenance throughout South America.
Currently, Chile is the largest global exporter of blueberries, having exported 110,000 thousand metric tonnes of blueberries in 2017 compared to its previous year’s statistics of 103,000 thousand metric tonnes - with Peru not far behind.
There has been an evident surge in Chinese investments into the South American blueberry market, urging the production quantity and quality of blueberries to improve, in order to meet the rising consumer demands.
Chile and Peru have become two of the most predominant and active players in the cherry market due to their favourable climates and harvesting conditions.
The export value of cherries from Chile in 2018 equated to US$1.08bn, almost doubling from the US$514m which was recorded in 2017.
“This extraordinarily high growth in both the blueberry and cherry industries in Chile indicates the need for the market to be reshaped. Chilean growers and packers require access to the highest quality grading and packing equipment, in order to maximize their output levels and deliver consistent, premium quality produce,” said Payne. “At GP Graders, we are pleased to grow our team in Chile in order to enhance our suite of pre-season, throughout-season and post-season service and training to assist growers and packers who have implemented our grading solutions.
“We are committed and driven to assist the blueberry and cherry industries, innovating and bringing new solutions and technology to the market,” Payne added.
