Fruitday Unveils Which American Cherry Appeals to China

When the California cherry exits the market during the second half of June, the baton will be passed to the American Northwest cherry, becoming one of the most in-demand imported fruits in China. In recent days, a Wechat promotional article named Map of American Cherry Taste drew the attention of China’s fruit industry and cherry lovers alike, which quickly developed into a hot topic online. The article is a brainstorming work created jointly by Fruitday, China’s leading fresh produce e-commerce platform, California Cherry Board, and Northwest Cherry Growers.

Chinese consumers are known for their distinct standard and preference on fruit and have their own opinions on how to choose cherries. The highlight of the article was a blind test based on consumers who have bought cherries on Fruitday’s platform which has shown what kind of American cherries appeals to Chinese consumers the most.

First of all, cherry strains with a dark color such as Bing are more likely to win Chinese consumers’ preference than those with a light color such as Sweetheart. Furthermore, burgundy has been chosen as the most popular color for cherries. 68% of the test participants said they favor larger cherries the bigger, the better. Cherries smaller than 10 Row are often seen as counterfeit American cherries. Regarding the shape of the fruit, heart-shaped ones are always sought after with cherries in round shape the least trendy. 70% of the participants preferred a cherry with the fruit stem still intact while only 4% accepted stemless ones. As for the taste, the test result came as a small surprise. Instead of a blind pursuit of high sugar content, Chinese consumers enjoy a balance between sweetness and sourness. In terms of the leading factor affecting consumers’ cherry selection, most of the participants voted for the taste. 65% of them considered that sugar content matters the most, 14% selected firmness, 11% backed juiciness, while only 3% thought the color and other visual features were the most important. Ruby, Rainier, and Bing have been ranked as the top 3 American cherry varieties by taste. Bing, Lapins, and Sweetheart are regarded as the top 3 when cost performance is concerned.

Founded in 2009, Fruitday has become a leading innovative, fresh produce retailer in China. As of December 2016, Fruitday APP has accumulated over twelve million users and its services have expanded to 86 Chinese cities. In the eight years from 2009 to 2016, the company had sold more than 1000 tons of American cherries. Moreover, Fruitday also takes pride in being the first company to introduce Sequoia cherry into China in 2014 and being the only Chinese company allowed to import Ruby cherry in 2016.

Image sources: Fruitday