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Summary of our market study
The French cherry market is valued at between 210 and 250 million euros.
The world market for fresh cherries is estimated at $5.2 billion.
The main producing countries are Turkey, Iran and Spain. Most production is consumed locally. Imports into France, notably from Turkey and Spain, total around 6,700 tonnes.
French production is carried out by a large number of small producers and cooperatives, mainly in south-eastern France. The majority of French cherries are sold fresh (55%), the rest being processed for various uses. Distribution is mainly via supermarkets (32%) and markets (31%).
Demand trends on the French cherry market
The French cherry market encompasses demand for a wide range of cherry varieties, from the famous Bigarreau and Burlat to Morello and Amarelle. Cherries are considered the third favorite fruit of the French population. Consumption is around 2.4 kg per household.
One third of consumption is consumed in its natural state, while the remainder is used as raw material for processed products.
Cherries face stiff competition from other seasonal substitutes. They represent only a small portion, estimated at 1%, of the total fruit market in France, which is dominated by apples, bananas and stone fruits such as peaches and nectarines.
Demand for cherries is concentrated in the summer months.
France is a major importer of cherries.
Producers and traders in the cherry sector
- SCA Covial: a major cooperative player in the cherry industry.
- Sicoly: Sicoly is a cooperative producing a wide range of fruits
- AMS European: a key distributor in the cherry market.
- Agri Fruits Chamber: operates at the heart of the agricultural industry, focusing on the cultivation and distribution of cherries and other fruits.
- Val de Nesque: a well-known cherry-growing entity.
- Montagnes de Venasque: Harvesting on the rich terrain of the Venasque mountains
- Collections de chapeaux de paille: short-circuit specialist
- COPEBI: a cooperative combining agricultural know-how and knowledge of the cherry market.
- Domaine le Monestier: artisanal producer.
- International Plant Selection: dedicated to the creation and propagation of new cherry varieties.
- Les Vergers de Champlain: produces a full range of fruits, including cherries.
to understand this market
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Definition
The cherry is the edible fruit of the cherry tree. It's a fleshy fruit with a stone, ranging in color from light red to black. There are over 600 varieties of cherry in France, the best known being the Bigarreau or Burlat.
Cherries can be eaten on their own, or processed by local producers or industrialists for use in a variety of food products: syrups, sauces, brandies, jams, pastries, whole-fruit yoghurts, fruit salads...
The cherry market is essentially a B2C market. All types of supermarkets are represented, with supermarkets leading the way, as well as the producers themselves. Farmers are increasingly turning to organic produce, with agriculture.gouv recording a doubling of the organic surface area cultivated in France in 2020, representing 9.5% of cultivated land. However, consumption of organic produce has suffered a blow in recent weeks and months, in the wake of the health crisis and galloping inflation, registering a decline of -1.34% in 2021 for the first time in a decade, according to AgenceBio. The clash between supply and demand for organic products is sure to change the face of many agricultural markets, including the cherry market.
Global cherry production has been rising steadily for the past ten years, from 3 million tonnes in 2010/2011 to 4 million tonnes in 2021/2022. This market is set to continue growing in the face of ever-increasing demand from emerging countries, especially China, the world's leading importer of cherries. Its production leader is Turkey, and its main exporter Chile. France seems to be recovering from the low production of 2021 due to frost waves, and in 2022 should return to its 2020 production level (around 35,000 tonnes).
Cherries are part of the wider fruit market in France, so in order to give a global view of the sector and to better understand the place of cherries in French fruit production, data including the fruit market in France will sometimes be used.
1.2 Key figures for the global market
According to Stratistics MRC, the global fresh cherry market is worth $**.** billion in **** and is expected to reach $***.** billion by ****. Some of the key factors propelling market growth are the increasing use of cherries in ice creams, jellies, salads, dairy drinks and alcoholic beverages around the world. Rising disposable incomes, population ...
1.3 Key figures for the domestic market
The French cherry market is set for a full recovery in ****, after a difficult year in **** due to frost waves that hampered production and led to a one-third drop in sales compared to the average between **** and **** (***). With an average retail price of €*.**/kg, this gives a price of €*,***.**/t. Knowing ...
1.4 Foreign trade in French cherries
Like French cherry production is not the most developed in the world, nor in the European Union. This graph is more than explicit. France's external balance on the cherry market is consistently negative between **** and ****, with a coverage rate averaging **.**% over the same period.
Foreign trade in cherries France, ****-**** Finances.gouv. The ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 Demand and its determinants
Cherries, a companion product
According to a Top Santé magazine ranking carried out in January ****, cherries were France's *th favorite fruit. Women and the elderly respond particularly positively to this type of product(***).
Demand for fresh cherries in France averages ***g per person per year(***). In all cases, the cherry market ...
2.2 Demand cyclicality
Consumption of raw cherries is highly seasonal, occurring mainly in summer. Cherry consumption by French households is concentrated over a *-month period (***), which accounts for the overwhelming majority of volumes purchased. This is essentially due to the fact that cherry production is concentrated during this period, which has the effect of ...
2.3 Demand trends
The demand for this fruit can be explained by its gustatory and nutritional qualities. Cherries are a good source of energy, and contain antioxidants and active agents that can help prevent type * diabetes and other diseases (***) and regulate the digestive system.
Cherries are a seasonal fruit that can be substituted for ...
3 Market structure
3.1 Industry forces and organization
Producers
The market for cherry growers is fragmented into smallholders. Many growers operate family estates. Some growers are grouped together in agricultural cooperatives. Barriers to entry are low, which explains the sector's high level of competition.
There are a large number of cherry growers seeking to expand geographically and by offering ...
3.2 Industrial use of cherries
As mentioned above, **% of French cherry production is destined for industrial processing. However, data is only available for Bigarreau cherries, which are the most widely used for processing. Cherry processing is mainly focused on candied cherries, cherries in syrup and cakes. The Bigareau cherry industry in France is responsible for *** direct ...
4 Offer analysis
4.1 Products
The different varietiesCoteaux du Ventoux cherry Protected Geographical Indication (***)This cherry variety is unique in that it benefits from a European distinction, the PGI, because it belongs to the Coteaux du Ventoux region. Produced by ** growers on Mont Ventoux in Provence-Alpes Côte-d'Azur, it is harvested exclusively by hand.
Bigarreau
This ...
4.2 Production costs
The main production costs for cherries are harvesting, irrigation and pruning. In recent years, many growers have invested in mechanized fruit processing (***) and packaging. The biggest cost, however, remains labor. Picking is generally done by hand at a rate of **kg/hour, followed by sorting, which is estimated at €*/kg, so ...
4.3 Sales prices
The following product prices are wholesale prices (***).
On average, Belgian cherries are the least expensive. However, these are only found on the Lyon-Corbas market. The cheapest cherry per kg is sold at €*.**/kg ex-VAT, and is also found on the Lyon-Corbas market. The most expensive cherry is, unsurprisingly, organically grown. It ...
4.4 Cherry price trends
cherry price trend in € incl. VAT/kg France, ****-**** FranceAgrimer
In view of this graph,prices for **** are very slightly below the five-year average prior to ****. We can also see that climatic risks are not to be taken lightly; they have generated an increase of around **% in cherry prices in **** . These ...
5 Regulations
5.1 List of current regulations
The Clause de Sauvegarde de l'Agriculture set up by the Ministry of Agriculture in ****, renewed in ****, protects French producers against distortions of competition and safeguards consumers against the risk of dimethoate residues. This clause prohibits the import of cherries from countries where dimethoate is authorized.(***)
The EGALIM * law (***)
The French Rural ...
5.2 Upcoming regulations
On May **, ****, European regulations reduced the maximum residue limits for dimethoate in cherries to zero. This new regulation is due to come into force on December **, ****. This poses many problems for farmers who fear a devastating fly that has recently arrived in Europe: the Drosophila suzukii fly.A new law was ...
5.3 Existing labels can help guide consumer choices
Label Rouge: The Label Rouge is a national label designating products which, due to their production or manufacturing conditions, have a higher level of qualityÌ than other similar products usually marketed.
Appellation d'Origine Protégée (***): the product says where it comes from: its name is that of a place emblematic ...
6 Positioning the players
6.1 Segmentation
Growers and market gardeners :
SCA Covial Sicoly AMS European Chambe Agri Fruits Val de Nesque Monts de Venasque Cueillettes des chapeaux de paille COPEBI Domaine le Monestier International Plant Selection Les Vergers de Champlain
Products and services related to the cherry industry :
Maf Roda Fachaux et fils
- Covial Uni Vert
- Sicoly
- AMS European
- Chambe Agri Fruits
- Val de Nesque
- Monts de Venasque
- Cueillettes des chapeaux de paille
- COPEBI
- Domaine le Monestier
- International Plant Selection
- Les Vergers de Champlain
- MAF Roda (Agrorobotic Groupe)
- Fachaux et Fils
List of charts presented in this market study
- Main exporting countries
- Main cherry importers
- Cherry market
- Average household purchase volume index by age of buyer
- Average household purchasing volume index by region
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Latest news
Fruit stations: Maf Roda expands with Caustier - 27/12/2023
- The world's leading manufacturer of sorting, calibration and packaging machines for fresh fruit and vegetables, Maf Roda, based in Montauban (Tarn-et-Garonne), has bought out its competitor Caustier, based in Perpignan, which has sales of 6 million euros and 40 employees.
- It manufactures machines for packing stone fruits (peaches, apricots, etc.)
- Caustier makes smaller machines than Maf Roda.
- Maf Roda employs 300 people in Montauban and the same number at its Spanish plant south of Valencia.
- It has other units in the USA, Mexico, Australia and China.
- It manufactures sorting and packaging machines for 40 varieties of fruit and vegetables sold in 60 countries.
- The group generates 80% of its sales from exports.
- Maf Roda employs 1,200 people and has forecast sales of 235 million euros in 2023, compared with 200 million in 2022.
- Maf Roda acquired Toulouse-based plastic injection mold and parts manufacturer Techni-Moules in 2018
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