Seafrigo has announced its expansion into Chile with the opening of two new offices in the country: an operational hub at Santiago Airport and a commercial office in Las Condes, northeast of the city. 

It said that this move strengthens Seafrigo's commitment to providing exceptional cool-chain food logistics services across Latin America.

Seafrigo noted that perishables play a vital role in Chile's economy, ranking second only to mining with the country, a major year-round producer of high-value fruits and vegetables, with key air exports including cranberries, white grapes, Agen prunes, peaches, Fuji apples, golden kiwis, kumquats, figs, and custard apples. 

Additionally, seafood and fish are crucial exports of the country, further emphasizing the need for specialized logistics solutions.

"The company currently handles a diverse range of Chilean exports by air, including cherries to Asia, custard apples and salmon to the USA, swordfish and flowers to Europe, and seeds to Australia," Seafrigo said.

It noted that while most shipments currently involve exports, Seafrigo is also seeing a steady rise in imports, including cheese, wine, and chocolate from France and the US.

Denis Hidalgo, an industry veteran with 22 years of experience in air and ocean logistics, will lead the new operations in Chile.

Seafrigo said the company will offer comprehensive services, including documentation support, logistical expertise, airport repacking and packaging services, and inland trucking.

"We are thrilled to expand Seafrigo's footprint to Chile, a country with a thriving perishables sector," Denis Hidalgo, country head of Seafrigo Chile, said.

"Seafrigo is a market leader in chilled food logistics, and our expertise across the cool chain sector enables us to deliver multi-modal tailored solutions to customers in all areas of temperature-controlled food," he added.

Seafrigo already has ambitious expansion plans and is exploring opportunities in Peru, another country with significant year-round perishables exports.

Chile is the world's leading exporter of cherries, and Seafrigo ranked second in IATA rankings during the Chilean cherry season, underscoring the company's strong presence in the industry.