How to promote and sell cherries in China

In the 2023-2024 season, Chile exported over $1.2 billion worth of cherries to China, making China the destination for roughly 80-90% of all Chilean cherry exports. Total fresh cherry imports to China reached approximately $2 billion annually by 2024, according to data from Chinese customs and fruit import reports circulating on Alibaba trade platforms and food industry forums. China is now the world’s largest importer of fresh cherries. This is not a niche premium food story. It is one of the most successful agricultural marketing campaigns ever run in China, and the marketing tactics behind it are directly applicable to any food brand trying to enter or grow in the Chinese market.

Why Chinese Consumers Love Imported Cherries

The cherry boom in China was driven by three factors that apply broadly to imported food products. First, food safety trust. After a series of domestic food safety scandals over the past two decades, 69% of Chinese consumers believe foreign food is more reliable than domestic, according to DDMA research. Imported fruits, especially those from countries with strong food safety reputations, carry a quality premium that domestic equivalents cannot match on perception alone.

Second, timing. Chilean cherries arrive in China from November through February, peaking exactly when Chinese consumers are most willing to spend: the holiday season leading into Chinese New Year. A box of premium Chilean cherries at 300-500 RMB became a standard New Year gift. Gifting drives a significant portion of cherry sales in China, and the red color of cherries carries positive symbolism for Chinese celebrations.

Third, effective marketing. The Chilean cherry industry’s 2016-2020 campaign won the IPA Effectiveness Awards 2022, the industry’s top global recognition for proven commercial results. Ronald Bown, president of ASOEX, said the award “recognizes the dedication, creativity, and professionalism with which methods to encourage consumption have been designed.” The campaign showed that with the right strategy, even an agricultural product from the other side of the world can become a premium brand in China.

The China Cherry Import Market at a Glance

Metric	Data	Notes
Chilean cherry exports to China (2023-2024)	$1.2B+	~80-90% of all Chilean cherry exports
Total cherry imports to China (annual)	~$2B	China is world’s largest cherry importer
Chinese consumers who prefer imported food	69%	DDMA research, across social classes
Peak season overlap with Chinese New Year	Nov-Feb	Critical timing advantage
Top imported food countries (Chinese trust)	NZ, Australia, Germany, US, Japan	Perception of strong food safety standards
Gifting as % of premium fruit sales in China	Significant share	Luxury gift boxes drive premium pricing

How to Build a Brand for Food Products in China

The cherry campaign worked because it treated cherries as a brand, not a commodity. The same logic applies to any imported food product. Chinese consumers are not buying cherries. They are buying Chilean quality, a gifting occasion, a health statement, and a social signal. The product itself is the entry ticket. The brand story is what creates the premium and the repeat purchase.

For any food exporter or distributor entering China, reputation management comes first. Chinese food distributors and consumers research brands on Chinese platforms, not on the brand’s home-country website. A positive presence on Baidu, Xiaohongshu, and Zhihu is more valuable than a polished English-language website that Chinese buyers cannot find or trust.

Reaching Chinese Food Consumers and Distributors on Xiaohongshu (RedNote)

1. Lead with health and lifestyle benefits, not product specs. Chinese consumers on Xiaohongshu respond to food content that connects the product to health, beauty, or a desirable lifestyle. For cherries, the angle is antioxidants, skin benefits, and premium gifting. For any food product, identify the lifestyle connection first.

2. Create gift box content ahead of Chinese New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival. The two peak gifting seasons drive a substantial share of premium food sales in China. Posts showing your product packaged as a gift, with pricing, ordering information, and gift messaging options, perform well in the six weeks before each festival.

3. Publish origin stories with specific detail. Chinese consumers respond to content about where food comes from, especially when it involves distance and care. Posts about Chilean cherry farms, harvest methods, cold chain transportation from Chile to China, and quality inspection processes build the kind of trust that justifies premium pricing.

4. Work with food KOLs and nutrition accounts. Xiaohongshu has a large health and food creator community. A review or recipe post from a credible food account introduces the product to an audience that is already searching for quality imported food recommendations.

5. Use Xiaohongshu for distributor discovery, not just consumers. Chinese food distributors and import agents also use Xiaohongshu to research products. A professional brand presence with consistent content signals that the brand is serious about the Chinese market and worth approaching.

Reaching Chinese Food Consumers on Douyin

6. Unboxing and freshness videos. Short videos showing the unpacking of a premium cherry box, the color, size, and freshness of the fruit, and an immediate taste reaction perform extremely well in food content on Douyin. The visual appeal of good cherries is a natural fit for short video format.

7. Recipe and usage content. Cherry-based recipes, desserts, cocktails, and gift arrangement ideas give Chinese consumers a reason to buy beyond eating the fruit directly. This content type has strong save and share rates because it is practically useful.

8. Livestream sales during peak season. Douyin live commerce is one of the most effective sales channels for food products in China. During cherry season (November to February), a live product demonstration showing quality and offering a time-limited deal can drive significant volume directly through the platform.

9. Collaborate with food industry Douyin accounts focused on import products. There are dedicated Douyin creators who review and recommend imported food products for Chinese consumers. A collaboration with one or two of these accounts during peak season provides direct reach to buyers who are already in a purchasing mindset.

Reaching Chinese Distributors Specifically

Chinese food distributors search Baidu and Zhihu for new brands. A Baidu-optimized Chinese-language website for the brand, hosted on a server with good loading speeds in China or via a CDN, is the foundation. Zhihu articles answering questions like “how to import Chilean cherries” or “which foreign cherry brands are available in China” position the brand as an authority in distributor research.

Word of mouth still drives distributor decisions in China. 60% of Chinese consumers and buyers cite peer and network recommendations as a major source of product information. Building relationships with existing Chinese importers and asking for referrals, combined with a visible Chinese social media presence, creates a credible pipeline for new distribution partnerships.

Example Found on Chinese Web (Translated)

“Every year for Chinese New Year I send my parents a box of Chilean cherries. The ones I buy cost around 400 RMB for a 2kg box. They’re big, sweet, and arrive in perfect condition. My parents don’t need me to explain what they are anymore. It’s become a tradition. I’ve been doing it for five years.”

— Xiaohongshu post from a Shanghai user, January 2025, in a thread about Chinese New Year gift ideas

FAQ

How big is the cherry import market in China?
China imports approximately $2 billion in fresh cherries annually and is the world’s largest cherry importer. Chilean cherries dominate, accounting for $1.2 billion in exports to China in the 2023-2024 season alone.

Why do Chinese consumers prefer imported cherries?
Trust in food safety standards, the premium gifting culture around Chinese New Year (when Chilean cherries are in season), visual appeal, and effective long-term marketing campaigns by producers like ASOEX and ProChile.

How should a food brand build a presence to sell in China?
Start with a Chinese-language website optimized for Baidu. Build a presence on Xiaohongshu and Douyin with product content that connects to health, gifting, and lifestyle. Use Zhihu to reach distributors and informed buyers. Engage food KOLs during peak selling seasons. Invest in e-commerce listings on Tmall, JD, and Pinduoduo.

When is the best time to market imported fruit in China?
The six weeks before Chinese New Year is the single most important window for premium fruit marketing. Mid-Autumn Festival is a secondary peak. Brands that plan campaigns around these dates see significantly better results than those with year-round, undifferentiated strategies.

We follow Chinese consumer trends in imported food and agriculture on our LinkedIn page. Follow us for updates on what is working for food brands in China right now.

Ready to Build Your Food Brand’s Presence in China?

The cherry story is the blueprint: identify what Chinese consumers value about your product, build a brand story around it in Mandarin, be present on the platforms where Chinese buyers research, and time your campaigns to the gifting calendar. We have helped food exporters, distributors, and brands from Europe, South America, and Oceania build exactly this kind of presence in China. If you want to move from unknown to recommended in the Chinese market, let’s talk strategy.

Contact us to discuss your food brand’s entry or growth strategy in China.

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Oliver Verot is the founder of Chinese Tourist Agency, with 15 years of experience helping international brands, food exporters, and consumer goods companies build visibility and distribution in the Chinese market.