"The cold weather in January has fortunately not affected our new cherry crop. We expect to be able to harvest the first Shandong cherries by the middle of April," says Liu Wei from Xinweihong, a cherry orchard in near Xiamen, in Fujian province.
"We sell our cherries to the larger cities in China. 60% to 70% or our products we sell online. The remaining 30% we supply to supermarkets. We ship our cherries by air to guarantee quality and speed. At the moment we do not work with cold chain logistics solutions, but we are considering to invest in this in the future. All cherries are packed by our packing teams directly at our orchards."
"We work with cherry grower cooperatives across Shandong province. Our biggest production bases are located near Yantai and Weifang city. Total orchards cover an area of 47 hectares. 80% of our cherry trees are planted outdoors. 20% is planted indoors in protective greenhouses. We grow the cherry variety that in China is knows as the 'American cherry."
"The season in 2015 was not as prosperous as we had hoped. The Chinese economy went down and sales of fresh produce were affected. This season, prices seem to have come down, but sales have improved significantly. The demand for cherries is growing. Cherries are a considered a healthy snack and have become a popular gift. We are exploring neighbouring markets and are looking for international partnerships."
"Our orchards are located 100 to 300 meters above sea-level. This location makes for excellent growing conditions, including good ventilation, an mineral-rich soil and enough sunshine. We are in the process of registering a number of trademarks that only our orchards can carry."
