
The 2021 harvest volume was a slide higher than in 2020. Shipment volume increased by 2.6% from 198,281 tons to 203,422 tons and total exports improved by 6% from 55,835 tons in 2020 to 59,366 tons. The export to domestic sales ratio is just below the 30:70 benchmark at 29.2:70.8, respectively. Volume to China gained 10.38% to 1,196,698 20lb boxes and South Korea added 10.7% to 845,925 boxes. Both Japan and Australia benefited from the weak US dollar and lower FOB prices, Japan grew 10.5% to 265,429 boxes and Australia increased 53% to 134,283 boxes. Contrary, Taiwan’s volume decreased about 1% to 603,415 boxes, Vietnam plunged 51.5% to 154,283 boxes, and the rest of the SE Asia region tumbled 23% to 135,994 boxes. Canada shrank 2.7% to 2,087,061 boxes, while the U.K. continued to dismal to 28,615 boxes.
Top priorities for the South Korea market are to solidify NWC’s premium image and to fend off cherries from Uzbekistan in early June. NWCG broadened our NWC health messages and positioned ourselves as the fruit to consume in the pandemic. The NWCG partnered with a top advertising agency to maximize the NWC health benefits exposures.
The annual “Cherry Day” PR event was launched on July 2nd and over 50 media from all platforms were at the PR event to kick off the 2021 NWC season. The results of the kick-off event included coverage of our “Cherry Day” and health benefits articles were released through online programing channels, magazines, and social media platforms. Final results included more than 1 million TV program viewership, over 4 million views of NWC health message related articles through all online news platforms, and over half a million readers from the lifestyle magazine channel. The NWC health messages is estimated to have reached more than 5.5 million potential NWC shoppers.
Impacted by the Covid-19 restrictions, the in-store sampling campaign had to be cancelled or modified. Instead, the NWCG created and printed various large NWC POS displays for the 4 key supermarket chain partners. We placed promotional hawker ladies next to large NWC displays to promote NWCs and encourage purchases.
In July and August, the NWCG implemented a month-long consumer contest via Facebook and Instagram platforms. To further integrate our program, NWC videos were produced by a popular YouTuber in July to build excitement and increase awareness of the benefits of eating NWCs. A NWC wellness TV program
was produced and aired on two popular health TV talk shows in the beginning of July. The annual “Cherry Day” PR event was launched on July 2nd and over 50 media from all platforms were at the PR event to kick off the 2021 NWC season. The results of the kick-off event included coverage of our “Cherry Day” and health benefits articles were released through online programing channels, magazines, and social media platforms. Final results included more than 1 million TV program viewership, over 4 million views of NWC health message related articles through all online news platforms, and over half a million readers from the lifestyle magazine channel. The NWC health messages is estimated to have reached more than 5.5 million potential NWC shoppers.
In late spring, another wave of Covid-19 outbreak in Guangdong Province severely affected the NWC shipments to Guangzhou. Under the execution of prevention measures, limiting the supply of NWC not only in Guangdong Province but also in Central and Southwestern China. These regions heavily rely on transshipments from Guangzhou while shipments from Shanghai increased to help the affected areas. Our strategy this season was impacted by the Covid outbreak and different levels of economic recovery; thus, we targeted Shanghai, Shenzhen, Beijing and the main second-tier cities in Southern China and Eastern China.
Northwest Cherry Growers
Yakima, WA, U.S.A.
nwcherries.com