With the gradual maturation and rationalization of consumption concepts, consumers now pay more attention to the unity of quality and life quality. When it comes to the once-popular food, one cannot fail to mention the avocado – this fruit originating from Mexico, which began to frequently appear on Chinese dining tables as early as 2010, and has become a symbol of the newly affluent class pursuing a middle-class lifestyle.
However, time is the best proof for testing everything. The popularity of avocados has gradually faded, replaced by cherries, durians, and blueberries, which are marketed as “superfruits” by businesses and are widely loved by consumers for their high attractiveness, health benefits, and anti-aging properties. While consumers are pursuing a high-quality life, they also begin to show sensitivity to price and a pragmatic tendency. Choosing fruits is no longer just a competition on price, but more about finding a high-quality lifestyle that is worth the money.
The so-called superfruits, originally stemmed from an American concept in 2004, are not unfamiliar to Chinese consumers, although before this they were more often referred to as “local specialties.” Although times are changing, each generation has its own unique fruit memories. For example, the Red Fuji apple, which represents the post-meal fruit of the post-80s generation. Today, Red Fuji apples still account for a major proportion of China’s apple production and almost occupy the status of “King of Fruits” in China.
As the post-80s generation’s essential choice for after meals, Red Fuji apples are not only loved for their bright color and crisp taste, but they are also often seen as a symbol of good fortune and health on various celebration occasions. It can be said that the popularity of Red Fuji apples has promoted China to become the world’s largest consumer of apples. Gannan navel oranges, which originated from the southern mountainous region, have become a common memory for several generations, turning into a top fruit trend spanning the post-80s, 90s, and even post-00s generations.
This consumption trend of returning to common sense is not only reflected in fruit consumption, but it is also a broader manifestation of life attitude. Seeking pragmatism in consumption methods rather than blindly pursuing fashion, this concept is quietly changing people’s lives, bringing life back to a more authentic and fulfilling texture.
In 1971, a 30-year-old youth from Zhejiang named Yuan Shougen graduated from Jiangxi Agricultural University with a degree in forestry. He attempted to plant 200 Washington navel orange saplings in Xinfeng County, Ganzhou, which were introduced from Shaoyang, Hunan. The region was initially planned to plant Wenzhou tangerines, but due to a suggestion from the nursery factory director, history was rewritten, and Gannan navel oranges took root since then.
After six years of steady development, by 1977, Yuan Shougen successfully sold 2,000 kilograms of high-quality Gannan navel oranges to Hong Kong. At that time, the price per kilogram reached 36 yuan, which exceeded the selling price of American navel oranges, thus making him famous and becoming the “first person of Gannan navel oranges.”
With the rise of fresh food e-commerce channels in 2014 and the boost from multiple awards, Gannan navel oranges have become extremely popular online, making young consumers go crazy for them. According to data released by the Ganzhou Postal Bureau, from 2016 to 2018, the number of express parcels of Gannan navel oranges jumped from 5.67 million to 21.584 million. Starting from October 1, 2018, Gannan navel oranges even appeared on the golden advertising slot of CCTV’s “Xinwen Lianbo”, a continuous three-month showcase which undoubtedly proved its significant position in the fruit market.
Apart from Gannan navel oranges, the dining tables of China’s affluent population have continuously seen the appearance of so-called “superfruits” such as avocados, durians, cherries, and blueberries. Unlike apples and navel oranges that have become localized, most of these emerging fruits rely on imports. The fruit consumption patterns of Chinese consumers are becoming increasingly international.
Avocados, known for their rich monounsaturated fatty acids, have been hailed as “golden fruit.” In 2011, China imported just 31.8 tons of avocados, but by 2023, imports soared to over 400,000 tons, about 70% of which came from Peru. The popularity of cherries is also quite legendary, with Chinese consumers consuming 87% of the total volume of cherries exported by Chile during peak periods. As for durians, they overtook cherries to become the “king of imported fruits” in China in 2019. According to the Customs Administration, Chinese imports of durians reached an astonishing 825,000 tons in 2022, with those from Thailand accounting for 95% of the share. Vietnam is also actively competing for the durian export market to China. Although blueberries are small, their import volume reached 60,000 tons in 2023, showing great potential, with an annual growth rate of about 40%, far exceeding the 3%-5% annual growth rate of other fruits.
In the world of so-called superfruits, whether a fruit can occupy the market’s “C position” may be related to various factorsâincluding its health benefits, marketing strategies, and even the promotion by scientific research. For example, blueberries quickly became the superfruit of choice in the United States in 2004 after scientists discovered they were rich in anthocyanins, which have antioxidant and anti-cancer effects. Between 2004 and 2014, consumption and prices of blueberries in the US continuously climbed. By 2014, this healthy and tasty little fruit made its way to the Chinese market in new packaging, attracting the first wave of attention from China’s middle class.
Twenty years ago, blueberries made their debut in the United States, becoming a superfruit. Regarding the popular topic of superfruits, food industry analysts Julian Mellentin and Carl Crawford have some reservations. In their co-authored book “Successful Superfruit Strategy,” they write that the success of a superfruit requires six key elements: an appealing sensory experience, novelty, convenience, a controllable supply, potential health benefits, and a comprehensive marketing strategy.
In the book, they explicitly expressed criticism of certain marketing strategies around the concept of superfruits. Mellentin pointed out: “Superfruits are deliberately created; they are not naturally occurring.” He seems to suggest that superfruits are more a result of capital manipulation, where consumers tend to buy products as symbols of social status and lifestyle rather than simply enjoying the taste of fruit. Such symbols of status first show economic strength, then a focus on nutrition and health, and a willingness to pay a high price for the so-called quality. This symbol has a certain guiding role in society, and those who do not follow may become marginalized.
China, as a major country in fruit production and consumption, has seen innovative marketing strategies for superfruits in domestic supermarkets and e-commerce platforms. In such a vast consumer market, crafting and managing each superfruit is challenging. A fresh produce purchasing manager at Hema Xiansheng (Fresh) stated that today’s superfruits should have the following elements:
- At the production end: Ensure a consistent and stable supply, so consumers can enjoy fruits throughout the year with confidence.
- At the consumption end: There should be an expected market growth that encourages long-term investment in every link from farmers to fruit distributors.
- At the health end: Meet the growing health and wellness needs of people.
- At the usage end: Ideally, they should be snackable and convenient to eat to create a stable consumption pattern, like as an afternoon tea or a post-meal snack.
Taking the example of the durian, which has been very popular in recent years, its supply has been nearly all-year-round due to continuous advancements in planting and storage technologies. For instance, the durian season in Thailand extends from April to October, while durians from Vietnam and Hainan, China, typically enter the market from June to August. In China, durian consumption has seen significant growth, with an average annual increase of 16% from 2010 to 2019. In 2023, China’s consumption of durians reached 800,000 tons, accounting for 82% of the world’s consumption. The huge domestic market in China means that once a distributor succeeds here, they have essentially succeeded in the entire fruit market.
Regarding consumer health consciousness, durians are considered to be nutritionally rich; the nutritional value of one durian can be compared to three hens, eliminating the need for costly market education. Due to its unique flavor and characteristics, durian has formed a special appeal among consumers. For example, durian mystery boxes were very popular last year. Seizing this market opportunity, Hongjiu Fruit Industry, a company that started with durian importation, even successfully listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2022, with a market valuation that at its peak surpassed 50 billion yuan.
Hema’s manager recently pointed out that after durian’s market craze, the industry plans to promote blueberries to a higher level of consumption. Although blueberries have been sold in China for many years, per capita annual consumption is only 0.26 kilograms, which is much lower than the 2.63 kilograms in the United States, indicating its huge market growth potential. Moreover, the well-known claim that anthocyanins in blueberries can protect the eyesâa point highlighted by the appealing consumption bright spot (especially noting the anthocyanin-rich white frost on the skin)âalong with their small size and ease of eating, makes them an ideal afternoon tea snack, fostering their market popularity.
However, merely relying on the market sensitivity of commercial supermarkets is insufficient to drive the innovative pace of the entire industry, which also requires the joint collaboration of the entire fruit industry chain. Although superfruits are favored by businesses, their fate is not always smooth sailingâany fluctuation in climate could change the trajectory of this risk-filled industry.
The core issue lies in the fact that the yield and price fluctuations of fruits, as well as the overall consumption environment, are closely related to the fate of fruits. Whenever a new superfruit hits the market, it often triggers large-scale follow-up planting in a short period of time. This can result in over-supply, leading to a drop in fruit prices. For instance, in the past few years, the Red Fuji apple and Gannan navel orange have suffered from oversupply and consequent price drops. Moreover, the high retail prices of fruits also put pressure on consumers, who complain that fruits are no longer affordable, as profits seem to be swallowed up by middlemen.
Among many fruits, the Sunshine Rose grape in particular has attracted attention. Once hailed as a luxury item in the fruit world with persistently high prices, its price plummeted due to a surge in supply and loss of quality control, falling to 20 yuan per half kilogram or even lower, which is undoubtedly a heavy blow to growers.
With changes in the consumption environment, people are starting to pursue cost-effective consumption choices, looking for high quality and lower-priced fruits, adding uncertainty to the future of superfruits. To respond to this change, industry insiders have already begun to look for new survival strategies, such as replacing expensive imported varieties with domestic fruits or ensuring each link in the industry chain is profitable through contract farming, which are solutions currently being explored by governments and businesses.
Mengzi City, the capital of Honghe Prefecture, Yunnan Province, is known as the largest blueberry planting base in the province. The direction of agricultural development in this region aims to provide Chinese consumers with high-quality and affordable domestic brand blueberries. The local government guides leading plantation companies like Xinrongmao to work closely with international markets, adopting international advanced planting technologies and management systems to create a competitive domestic blueberry brand.
This plantation base has introduced first-class international technologies, with improved blueberry seeds from the world’s largest plantation companyâChile’s Hortifrut. Advanced light-diffusing technologies and greenhouse films come from Greece, its soil drip irrigation systems combine coconut husk fiber and peat, with technologies adapted from Israel, and its sorting system employs a system from Italy, making Mengzi blueberries stand out with features such as large size, crisp and sweet taste, rich aroma, and no pesticide residues.
In the sales segment, Mengzi blueberries work with large retailers such as Hema, implementing a model of base procurement and contract farming, to secure interests in every aspect of production and sales and reduce risks across the entire supply chain. This model not only ensures the quality of blueberries but also, as a domestic product, offers retail prices that are only about half that of international brands.
Combining global advanced technologies with Chinese production and adopting contract farming is becoming an effective way to ensure the continuous development of superfruits. However, a longstanding international trade issue follows: the combination of global seed technology and Chinese manufacturing may lead to declining market prices, affecting the interests of traditional international fruit participants. Insightful analysis suggests that this comprehensive competition, involving seed technology, farmland management, pricing, and exports, highlight the fierce rivalry in agricultural interests between nations.
However, this does not imply immediate results; the opportunities for global cooperation in the fruit industry are still considered to outweigh the depletion caused by competition. At the same time, for the increasingly pragmatic Chinese consumers, the concept of choosing superfruits has changed. They no longer pursue the status symbol represented by single varieties such as avocados, but pay more attention to the quality, taste, and affordability of the products.
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