Hunan is the most important market for Fruit Mate, and the province is one of the largest fruit producers in China. Hunan farmers produce nobis tangerines, navel oranges, sugar oranges, and other characteristic local fruit varieties. These fruit varieties sell well in the domestic and international markets. In addition, as the living standards of Chinese consumers improve, their demand for high-quality import fruit grows. The annual sales volume of import fruit expands every year. Fruit Mate is a fruit industry service provider specialized in the management of fruit products and establishment of solid supply chain systems. Mr. Wang, spokesperson for the company, recently talked about the specifics of the Hunan fruit market and also shared his view on business concepts in the fruit industry.
"Consumers in Hunan have two important characteristics," said Mr. Wang. "First, they are pioneers with the courage and interest to taste new fresh foods. And newly imported fruits are always immediately welcomed with enthusiasm. And second, they prefer heavy flavors. Take durian and jackfruit as an example, although their flavor is strong and not easily accepted by most people, in Hunan these fruits are welcomed with open arms."
When asked about the most popular import fruits in the Hunan market, Mr. Wang replied: "Tropical fruits from Southeast Asia can not easily be replaced by fruits from areas that lack the unique geographical and meteorological conditions of Southeast Asia. That is why Southeast Asian fruits always sell well in the Chinese market. Of course, there are some western countries with production seasons that run opposite to the Chinese production seasons, and sometimes their product quality is simply superior. For example, South American cherries and New Zealand kiwi fruit both sell very well in the Chinese market. There is still huge potential for import fruits, including the popular Southeast Asian fruits, as well as the South American cherries and Zespri kiwi fruit from New Zealand, which stands out in terms of brand and product quality."
Fruit Mate signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Pagoda.com in August of last year. Mr. Wang talked about recent cooperation: "Pagoda operates according to the most advanced management principles in the fruit retail industry, and we possess superior supply chain resources. The two companies therefore supplement each other well, which is why we reached a strategic cooperation agreement in August of last year. The cooperation resulted in innovative exchanges that further stimulated new developments in the industry. In addition, we are on schedule with our plan to realize one thousand stores in the Hunan market. And at the same time, we are actively responding to a government appeal for the export of Hunan products beyond Hunan borders. In the future we will supply the Chinese market and the world with more top-quality, local Hunan products. Our products are available throughout the country via our online shop on Pagoda.com."
Chinese consumers began to pay more attention to top-quality domestic fruit during the pandemic. The sudden rise of premium domestic fruit also intensified market competition.
According to Mr. Wang: "Following the intensified development of China's agricultural resources and agricultural production methods, the product variety of Chinese fruit diversified, the level of plantation technology improved, and there are significant strides in the fields of upscaling production and brand construction. While we continue to manage import fruit, we also focus on brand construction in the domestic fruit market. In the last few years we have successfully registered and managed our own 'Silk Road manor' and other brands. And we have also taken fruits that were well known in their province, such as Qingtai apples, Highland Prince oranges, and Shijian oranges, and turned them into the benchmark brands for their region. At the same time, we also developed steady business relations with national brands such as Jinjin and Qifeng."
"As for the trend towards branding in the Chinese fruit industry, our advantage is the routine we developed early on in our career. We have a fully-matured team, well-developed channels, and a perfectly-prepared service system. We also have successful methods that can be duplicated, so that we will always find ways to improve. Our next step is to ease our way into the hearts of Changsha, Jiaxing, and Guangzhou markets, so that we can connect retail channels and supply our products. These markets are ideally located as distribution points for central China, east China, and south China. Once we have established a foothold in these markets, we will be able to further expand in these regions."
"We have chosen the brand name 'fruit mate', because we see fruit as the perfect companion for a healthy life, and we hope to develop friendly relations with everyone in the fruit industry, no matter how near or far."
Fruit Mate will participate in the Shanghai International Fruit Expo between the 12th and 14th of August. Fruit Mate warmly welcomes all visitors to their stand in hall E5 at booth E2-2. "We are suppliers, but also retailers, and we provide services for other companies in the fruit industry. That is why this expo is an important event for us. We hope to expand our brand influence and find even more strategic retail partners. Whether they are suppliers of import fruit or local products, retailers, or supply chain managers, we warmly welcome all! We hope to take full advantage of all the opportunities this expo has to offer!"
For more information:
Mr. Wang Fuhua
Fruit Mate
Tel.: +86 13507489999
E-mail: [email protected]