Apples find juicy market online in China

Left: Workers pick Granny Smith apples in an apple orchard of Auvil Fruit Company in Wenatchee of Washington State Right: Workers process Red Delicious apples at the packing facility of Stemilt Growers, a fruit company in Wenatchee. photos by Linda Deng / China Daily

Wenatchee, a small city in north-central Washington, is known as the "Apple Capital of the World" because of the valley's many orchards.

Thanks to e-commerce giant Tmall, apples from this city of a little more than 30,000 residents can now reach more than 500 million Chinese customers online.

During Tmall's Singles Day sale event in 2015, more than a million gala apples from Washington were sold in just 24 hours.

Red Delicious, the long-standing favorite, has been losing popularity among Americans for years. But some growers are still sticking with the variety because it is welcomed in China.

"They are popular gifts in China during holidays," said Rebecca Lyons, international marketing director of the Washington Apple Commission, which promotes the state's apples and apple products to 25 countries around the world.

"China is one of the top five export markets for Washington apples and generated sales of over $30 million in the 2015-16 apple season," said Lyons, who travels to China every year. "During the current season volume shipments are up by 25 percent, driven by more availability of Washington Red Delicious and Gala and fewer high quality domestic (Chinese) Fuji apples compared to 2015-16."

Lyons said about 2 million cartons of apples are shipped to China each year, with each carton weighing approximately 18 kilograms. It accounts for about 6 percent of the apples produced in Washington every year.

"The Washington apple industry will be investing more in developing the opportunities both in major metro regions like Shanghai and regional cities like Chengdu. Chinese consumers are very quality conscious and care about the origin and safety of their food, which makes the market a perfect fit for Washington apples," she said.

lindadeng@chinadailyusa.com