The secret behind Chinese bayberries’ international breakthrough

The Chinese bayberry, a type of fruit grown in abundance in east China’s Zhejiang Province, just went viral globally this summer.

Recently, short videos about this fruit were widely shared on overseas social media platforms. According to the custom reports of Qingtian county, Lishui city, Zhejiang Province, the county’s exports of Chinese bayberries this year are expected to double the 2023 amount, which stood at some 20 tonnes.

Photo shows ripe Chinese bayberries in an orchard in Xianju county, Taizhou city, east China's Zhejiang Province. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Yongtao)

In Xianju, a major Chinese bayberry-producing county in Taizhou city, Zhejiang Province, a fruit distributor has sold hundreds of kilograms of Chinese bayberries to Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and Canada in less than a week.

A major grower of Chinese bayberries from the province's Ningbo city said that the fruit has been fetching high prices overseas this year. In some parts of Europe, larger-sized Chinese bayberries are sold at over 10 yuan (about $1.38) per fruit, and the highest quality fruit can fetch even higher prices, the grower added.

The fruit’s impressive sales can be traced to the new techniques adopted by growers to keep it fresh longer. To shield the delicate produce from the rigors of long-distance shipping, farmers have improved their controlled atmosphere packaging. This innovative approach now extends the shelf life of the fruit to nearly a month, paving the way for robust exports.

Local agricultural departments have stepped up to the plate, offering farmers vital support to hone their growing techniques and boost fruit quality. In Yuyao county, Ningbo, agricultural experts have rolled out a suite of eco-friendly, efficient, and practical methods for cultivating Chinese bayberries. The results speak for themselves: premium fruit yields have shot up, with each mu (about 667 square meters) now generating over 2,000 yuan in extra revenue.

On top of that, distributors have pulled out all the stops in promoting bayberry products. They've jazzed up the packaging with trendy Chinese-style illustrations that showcase the local scenic beauty. Some gift boxes even come with Chinese bayberry-themed cultural souvenirs. They've also branched out into related industries, developing products like Chinese bayberry pastries and wine. This strategy has transformed Chinese bayberry exports from a seasonal hit into a year-round success.

In recent years, a wave of Chinese products have caught the eye of international consumers. Take the autumn and winter seasons of 2022, for instance, when Chinese-made electric blankets and heating devices took Europe by storm. Major cross-border e-commerce platforms reported a surge in overseas demand for Chinese heating products compared to the previous year, with some items seeing their sales skyrocket by over 50 percent.

Some entrepreneurs noted that their “overnight success” was actually years in the making. For over a decade, they've been fine-tuning their products, pushing the boundaries of performance in key areas. This relentless pursuit of excellence has not only led to those coveted “viral sales” moments but also significantly boosted the added value of their products.