Beyond Chile's Single Story » randomness

Oversupply of Chilean Cherries in China Causes 50% Drop in Prices

Leslie — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:29:45 +0000

Here’s the latest update on last week´s cheery, bilingual posts on Chile-China cherry trade. It reads like a textbook case study in supply and demand, as well as a cautionary tale about the risks inherent in agriculture, exports, perishables, and trends in general.

From today’s El Mercurio: (translation and emphasis mine)

Oversupply of domestic exports to China cherries causes 50% drop in prices

Friday, January 27, 2012

Economy and Business

Miguel Concha M.

The rush for the fruit to land in China before the New Year holiday caused a collapse of the ports and sales systems of the Asian country. The price of Chilean cherries in China dropped by 50% in the past few days.

As explains Manuel Jose Alcaino, president of Decofrut, from January 23 fruit values were reduced from an average of U.S. $ 30 FOB per carton to U.S. $ 15 FOB.

The reason for the drastic fall is in response to an oversupply of cherries during the week before the Chinese New Year celebration, when by tradition many give gifts of fruit.

“We tried to get almost all the fruit to arrive before the celebration, which begins on January 23 and lasts for about a week. This stretched the country’s logistics system, making it collapse and causing a strong demand overload in a week, “said Alcaino.

The specialist added that a large proportion of the Chilean cherry sales in the Asian giant occur around Chinese New Year. In 2012 that date was earlier than in previous years, based on the location of the moon, so Chilean companies increased their efforts to make the cherries arrive in time for the celebration.

This resulted in three boats filled with about 700 containers, which together totaled about 14,000 tons of fruit.

“There were blocks and blocks of fruit trucks trying to enter the city through the port of Guangzhou. In addition, the market itself was also a mess because the volumes had exceeded sales opportunities in the city,” says Decofrut president.

The problem faced by exporters in the world’s second largest economy is not small, when you consider that is the main market for cherries. In fact, Asia accounts for about 60% of total shipments of the fruit.

Moreover, in recent years, exports of Chilean cherries to China had experienced a real boom: growth of 91%. Prices hit more than U.S. $ 40 FOB per box.

According to data from the Fruit Exporters Association (Asoex) in the 2010-2011 season a total of 7211 tons of cherries arrived in China , versus 3772 tons in 2009-2010.

Alcaino adds that part of the reason for the haste why this large amount was sent, was in response to the high expectations they had for exporters this year, based on the strong growth in previous years.

Anatomy of a Much-Retweeted Tweet: audience, keywords, immediate benefit

Leslie — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:12:31 +0000

Yesterday I tweeted:

So far this link has been shared, retweeted, and favorite’d 15 times, which is a lot more than most of the links, pictures, and observations I share on Twitter.

Why this tweet? I have some ideas.

1) Clear Audience. I addressed this tweet towards China-philes. This is a relatively broad, inclusive, and self-defined category, and there are a lot of China-philes on Twitter.

2) Specific Keywords. A grad student friend once referred to Harvard as the H-bomb. This name catches people’s attention!

3) Immediate Benefit. The course is available online. It’s free. A Harvard education for anyone with an internet connection and the attention span to sit through a lecture (or 37!)

What do you think? When do you find that your tweets get a lot of attention?

How to Enjoy a Long Layover in Mexico City

Leslie — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:32:21 +0000

I spent Christmas at home in San Francisco, and wanted to come back to Chile to ring in 2012. So I booked a one-way ticket on Aeromexico, which happened to be the cheapest one-way flight I could find, and included a 16-hour layover in Mexico City (roughly 7am-11pm).

Despite the fact that I couldn’t get much sleep on the 1am flight from San Francisco to Mexico City, I enjoyed my layover adventure.

Before I left home, I downloaded Jim Johnston’s Mexico City: An Opinionated Guide for the Curious Traveler onto the Kindle app on my iPod Touch. Very helpful!

After exchanging $100 in cash for Mexican pesos and grabbing a much-appreciated cup of coffee, I got a city map and found the official taxi stalls. I had heard horror stories about unlicensed cabs in Mexico City and chose to play it safe.

I asked the driver to take me to the Zócalo.

Zócalo, early morning with Christmas decorations.

Flags adorn a gorgeous church, not far from the Zócalo

Huevos divorciados, a classic Mexican breakfast. Two fried eggs, one with red sauce, one with green. Served up with chilaquiles and a much-needed café con leche.

I strolled in and out of several pretty churches.

Such pretty light!

I then walked to the Palacio de Bellas Artes, where there was a special four-gallery exhibit of sculptures by Gustavo Perez. Each piece juxtaposed the whiteness of porcelain with the blackness and unequaled plasticity of black mud from Oaxaca. So striking.

I then followed my guidebook’s advice and took the subway to Colonia Condesa, an upscale residential neighborhood. I got slightly confused on the subway and needed to backtrack more than once, but I was glad to have plenty of time and no one following my directions. I think the subway was much less crowded than usual, since I was there during a holiday week.

Pretty house in Colonia Condesa

Dogwash-Mobile! What a brilliant idea!

"To sustain this park demands great expenses. Cooperate with us by not permitting its mistreatment." A different rhetorical tactic than I've seen at parks in other places.

My main goal during my long layover was to find the authentic Mexican food that I was spoiled with as a child. Though it did not equal Nana Petra's famous cauliflower casserole, this gordita was tasty.

Not long after that gordita, I got caught in the rain. In the dark. Exhausted. Umbrella-less, I scurried through the rain until I finally found an open restaurant (a lot of places were closed since most of the city was on vacation.) There I ate a decent strawberry and goat cheese salad and asked the waitress to call me a cab to the airport.

I arrived at the airport with ample time to browse through Duty Free’s selection of fine tequila. I chose a brand called Suave.

Overall, I enjoyed my layover in Mexico City, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to save money and enjoy some nice art, architecture, and tacos.

If you have a long layover in Mexico City, you should also read this post: Mexico City – All the Fun You Can Have in 10 Hours by Jack and Jill Travel the World

From Corporate Copywriter in China to Emerging Entrepreneur in Chile: A Year in Review

Leslie — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:36:07 +0000

I pretended to give a speech at EXPO CHINA, at Santiago's Estación Mapocho. Maybe next year!

If 2010 was the year I spent thinking about Chile from China, 2011 has been the year I took action on this vision. It has been a crazy year, and I am so happy about where I am right now, in the final days of 2011.

The last day of 2010 was my last day of an intense job as a copywriter for a very big Chinese client of a very big Japanese advertising agency. I had originally intended to stay for at least a year, but the combination of long hours (until 5, 6, 7, 8am at least twice a week) and corporate policies that I didn’t understand took a heavy toll on my sanity, and I decided that I could not sign a long-term contract. So New Year’s 2011 marked a new beginning.

I celebrated my 27th birthday on January 5 in Beijing, with a delicious dinner at Nice Rice and festive drinks at Mao Mao Chong. Stephanie brought balloon animals, which added special flair to the occasion.

My hairstylist (#8 - I miss him!) gave me curls and the balloons really brought life to the party.

Angie, me, Shepherd, and Sean. At Mao Mao Chong in Beijing celebrating my 27th birthday.

When I left my advertising job, I intended to write a book about careers for young foreigners in China. I created this simple website and began to brainstorm an ambitious book proposal. But I soon lost all motivation. I could hardly get out of bed. How could I write a book about the advantages of launching a career in China? My own China career hit a low point. I had plenty of freelance work — tutoring a sweet UK-bound high school student, training an upstart recruitment firm, planning a charity cycling event — but I felt overwhelmingly reactive, and was not doing my best work.

Following a sunny family vacation in Thailand and Cambodia, my brother visited me in Beijing and we visited the snow-covered Great Wall at Mutianyu. The day was pretty and not bone-chillingly cold.

In March I received an unexpected but ultimately life-changing email from a Canadian-American renewable energy entrepreneur who I’d met in Chile in 2005. She invited me to upload my resume and a full scan of my passport as part of her solar energy startup’s application to Start-Up Chile. In May we found out that we’d been accepted to the program. In June I bought a one-way ticket home. Two weeks later I packed up all my belongings, made a huge donation of clothes and shoes and random supplies to a local charity, and planned a simple farewell party at my favorite rooftop Yunnan restaurant.

I packed my stuff into these 2 suitcases and 2 bags, and hailed a cab to the airport. Zaijian Zhongguo!!

On the plane home, I wrote this: Dear China: It’s Not You, It’s Me. Let’s Be Friends Forever. That post meant more than anything else I wrote this year, and I received dozens of comments and emails from friends near and far.

I spent about three weeks at home in California, partying with my parents’ friends on “the Lane” and visiting my brother in Hermosa Beach for the 4th of July. This was my first time experiencing the new lives that my closest family members have built while I have been on the other side of the world.

My parents' most obedient child, Max.

In mid-July, I landed in Chile. Thanks the to generous hospitality of Roberto Edwards and his team, the open doors of Start-Up Chile, the strong support from Marcelo Peralta, and so much more, Chile has given me the opportunity to bring my passions together.

For years people have been telling me that someday they envision me running my own company, but before I landed in Chile I didn’t really think I could do it. Working in a gorgeous office with entrepreneurs from all over the world, and giving speeches in Spanish to encourage the next generation of entrepreneurs has shown me that yes, it is possible.

Thank you to my first clients — Trey, Chai, Luis, Victor, Juan Cristóbal, Charlotte, Adam — for believing in me and what is becoming my consulting practice, Tricontinental Advisors.

Grazie to my designer friends -- Nicoletta, who created the Tricontinental Advisors logo, and Sara, who made the Beyond Chile's Single Story banner -- for making my websites look more professional.

Thank you Joe, Fu and Yuli for helping with Chinese translation. Thank you to everyone who has taught me Spanish, particularly Nana Petra for love-filled Spanish lessons throughout the first five years of my life, the University of California Education Abroad Program that brought me to Chile in 2005, and Marcelo who continually teaches me new words and phrases.

Thank you to all the wonderful people I have met through the power of social media: Akhila, Alexis, Andrea, Dan, Gia, Hilary, Humberto, Jacci, Kyle, Roxanne, Sarah, Sarah, Stacie, Susan, and so many more. Thank you to everyone who reads this blog, especially the lurkers (say hi!)

Thank you Start-Up Chile and the Ministry of Economy, for shaping a new culture of global entrepreneurship in this gorgeous country of contrasts, a place that has always embodied the entrepreneurial spirit.

Thank you Grandma Ginny. Every writer should have a pen pal like you. I look forward to seeing you in a few days.

Thank you Ben. I am so excited to show you and your team the entrepreneurial side of Chile in 2012!!

Thank you to my parents for their enthusiastic support of my international adventures, and their resourceful use of frequent flier miles that enable their international adventures to coincide with mine.

This list is incomplete; I could write pages and pages more. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all!

Here’s to health, happiness, and prosperity in 2012 and beyond!

Lots of love,

Leslie

Entrepreneur-ista Links of the Day!

Leslie — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 17:53:53 +0000

Today I’ve read a handful of fabulous posts about entrepreneur-istas, and I’d like to share them with you.

1) I loved Alicia Morga’s series of posts from her trip to Azerbaijan. She writes:

So why Azerbaijan, the Land of Fire? Well, I was invited by the U.S. State Department to share my experiences as a female entrepreneur with women around the country.

When I landed in Azerbaijan, cultural attaché Chris Jones picked me up at the airport and immediately handed me a cell phone and a large packet. I felt like I had parachuted into a scene in Mission Impossible. …

Azerbaijani folk dance, via Flickr Creative Commons

Talking to women, young and old, I learned how much they defeat themselves. They see no use in trying. There is a culture of can’t – even in the face of real life examples of can.

There are successful women entrepreneurs in Azerbaijan. I was fortunate to meet many, including a woman who started the few and largest bookstores, a woman who opened a tea house for women, and even a woman who started her own bakery with another woman friend at the age of 52. Where at least one person has accomplished something, in my mind it means that more can follow – the path is forged and it’s possible.

But I was frustrated to run up against mindsets that were either completely fixed and negative or unrealistically attached to Oprah-isms – dream it and it will come true – without moving to put in the work. Adding to the problem was the general fear of admitting to not knowing something and a very palpable fear of failure.

Though it’s not difficult to see how that might flow from the top. Dictatorships are not exactly known for their creativity. It’s hard to be creative when you’re not allowed to fail. It’s easy to feel defeated when you’re surrounded by corruption.

Still I did my best to convey hope and inspire the women I met to pursue education and consider entrepreneurship.

Many of the women I met we’re eager to learn and welcoming. Young girls came up to me asking for pictures and easily draped their arms around me. One young girl went to hug me and stopped abruptly, catching herself and sucking in her breath like she had seen a ghost. “Is it okay to touch you?” she asked, “I know that Americans don’t like to be touched.” I laughed and gave her a big hug. [more]

She also gives a list of practical tips for women traveling to Azerbaijan, such as:

some odd but true cultural guidelines:
a. It’s not appropriate to go outside with wet hair; if you walk around with wet hair it implies that you just had sex
b. It’s also not appropriate to put on Chapstick in public – again, it has sexual connotations [more]

2) I was delighted to see fellow StartUp Chile entrepreneur Yifan Zhang on the list of 20 Brazen Young Professionals to Watch in 2012. She’s in great company! Guess who nominated her? Here’s Brazen’s blurb about this brilliant young entrepreneur:

Yifan Zhang: A recent Harvard graduate, Yifan founded Gym-Pact, a mobile app that motivates you to work out; it launches nationally on Jan. 1. Yifan also founded Styleta, a nonprofit fashion organization.

3) I really liked this post by Pam Slim: The Deeper Root. She asks:

Why are you doing this (business) (parenting) (difficult project) (job)?

What will happen if you succeed?

Will it be worth it even if you fail?

Why does it matter?

What will you regret not doing?

What will you rejoice leaving as a legacy? [more]

4) Last but not least, I did this interview for The Workpreneur, which Ryan titled La Entrepreneur-ista.

Have a great day!

An Experiment in Location Independence, Pichilemu-style

Leslie — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 12:00:05 +0000

I wrote this from Pichilemu, a tiny, idyllic surf town on the coast of Chile, about three hours south of Santiago. It looks like California, but without the highways, chain stores, hotels, malls… if you took a bare stretch of the California coast and added a few little guesthouses, family-run pharmacies, ice cream parlors, sidewalk restaurants, and shops filled with inexpensive beachwear, it would look like Pichilemu.

I came to Pichilemu to get away from the stress of Santiago (including loud repairs in my apartment) so for my first two days here I just read novels, wrote in my journal, gave myself a pedicure, bought a striped sundress, and sampled several flavors of ice cream.

But by Monday, I knew I needed to get some work done. Inspired by Alexis Grant’s recent blog post, Learning How to Travel While Working, I decided to turn my day into an experiment in Location Independence.

Workplace #1

My first stop was a hotel that had a wifi sticker on its door. It specializes in government-endorsed package tours for Chilean senior citizens. I asked if I could use the internet, and a woman pointed me to the living room, a cozy space with several yellow leather couches. I sat down on the couch and asked for the wifi password. She said that the password had just been changed, and she gave me a password that didn’t work. So I sat down on the couch and started writing. I don’t need the internet to write; it’s actually a distraction. I periodically switched on my phone’s data plan to check email and Twitter, look up quotes for the articles I was writing, and ask colleagues to call me if they needed anything.

After about two hours, dozens of guests came back to the hotel, and the maid started vacuuming the living room. She apologized for disturbing me, and suggested that I move to another seat. But I saw an obese man setting up his cello for a performance for the senior citizens’ group, and knew it was time to move on.

I paced the streets of Pichilemu in search of wifi. I knew I had spotted at least one guesthouse with a sign advertising wifi. I entered one residencial and asked if I could use the wifi. I told him I was willing to buy lunch, drinks, or even just pay for the service, but he refused. He said that now is the time to clean, not attend to guests.

So I kept walking. And eventually I found a guesthouse with a British theme and wifi. I rang the doorbell and no one came. So I just opened the gate and sat down at a white plastic table in the garden, under a handmade sunshade. The place had wifi but no one to tell me the password. So I typed this on a disconnected computer. So much more productive that way!

Workplace #2

After two hours (and writing two full articles) I moved on to a seafront restaurant with a lovely deck where I’d eaten before. It advertised wifi, but the waiter told me that the entire town’s wifi was broken and they needed to wait for a technician from another city to come and fix it. He apologized, and recommended the lenguado (best fish in Pichilemu.) So I ordered lenguado a la plancha con ensalada surtida and continued to write, as I watched the waves roll in.

Workspace #3

After sunset I visited an internet café to respond to a few emails and read the day’s news.

In a day and a half of working Location Independently, I wrote 7 full blog posts, and got a solid start on 3 more. Not bad!!

6 Tips for Location Independence

1) Invest in the right tools.

In Pichilemu, the right tool would be a wireless internet device that plugs into the side of the computer. These are widely available in Chile and there are both monthly and prepaid payment options. However, as you can probably tell from the previous story, I don’t have one. (And even if I did it might not work due to the problem with the town’s wifi.) I do have a Samsung Galaxy Mini smartphone with a Chilean SIM card and a prepaid Android data plan that costs me too much money. (I’m definitely due for an upgrade to a monthly unlimited plan.) For other destinations, investing in the right tools might mean renting an AirCard.

2) Bring earplugs.

In the day’s first workplace, the radio was playing way too loud, on a station that had “My Heart Will Go On” and other classics on repeat. Thankfully I had earplugs. A godsend for my attention span and sanity!

3) Ask people to call you.

This is the best way to communicate with people in other places. If you’ll be far from home, you might want to set up Skype (and a healthy dose of SkypeOut credit) on the computers of your loved ones and colleagues and write down the time difference, your number while traveling, and the best times of day to call.

4) Be realistic with your expectations.

If you are a writer and you’re trying to spill out a “shitty first draft” of your novel, a place like Pichilemu is ideal. It gives you the mental and physical space to process thoughts and put them on the page. If you are a consultant or web designer, whose business depends on conference calls and other Internet-centric tasks, I recommend taking #1 to heart and staying in a place with more connectivity. For example, here in Chile, there are plenty of beach towns (Viña del Mar, Reñaca, La Serena, etc.) that have a greater concentration of nice hotels and cafés to help you stay connected.

5) Spend at least a week in each place.

Once you’ve found a comfortable and convenient workplace, complete with reliable wifi hotspot, good coffee, handmade muffins, beautiful scenery, massage chairs (hey, a girl can dream!) stick around for a while. You will work much more efficiently if you don’t have to search for a new space.

6) Be sure to enjoy your chosen destination.

Why go to a tiny beach town if you’re going to code all day? Be sure to indulge in your surroundings: go for a long walk on the beach, eat some fresh ceviche, work on your tan… I think you get the picture!

The beach in Pichilemu on a weekday in December. Not a soul in sight!

Have you ever tried working Location Independent(ly)? What has been your experience? What would you add to this list?

El Loco Pepe’s First Touchscreen Shot

Leslie — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 11:20:52 +0000

Horse legs, my legs. Taken by el Loco Pepe, using touchscreen for first time.

Last weekend, I accompanied Marcelo and several of his relatives to check out a plot of land that his mother had inherited. So we got in the pick-up truck, and drove to the site. The lot is a gorgeous, forested space on the outskirts of a very small town in Chile’s VI Region. There were two beautiful horses living on the lot, and I could help but take photos of them.

Marcelo´s fun-loving, forty-something uncle, who is known to everyone as el Loco Pepe, asked me about my iPod Touch. He kept saying, “No tengo celular, porque no entiendo esa cuestión. Pero me gusta esta maquina.” (I don’t have a cell phone, because I don’t understand that thing. But I like this machine.)

So I showed him how to use it. Above is the first photo he took.

I love it. I love the angles. I love the movement of the horse’s leg. I like how it highlights my hand in my pocket. I like seeing my feet in an unintentional version of ballet’s first position.

We also captured some shots that included the horse’s face, el Loco Pepe’s face, and mine.

El Loco Pepe y el caballo.

Nationless World. Amazing Video by Jie-Song Zhang

Leslie — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 11:00:49 +0000

Love, love, love this video! It’s a compilation of interviews with creative and cross-cultural people from all over the world.

If you’re reading this in an email or RSS feed, and want to watch the video, click the title of this post or go straight to NationlessWorld.com.

ABOUT JIE-SONG ZHANG

Jie-Song Zhang is a son of Beijing, and a pupil of New York. He, like yourself, has inherited this fertile moment in human history, its massive breaking and re-building, its possibilities and responsibilities.

A Not-So-Happy Halloween: Criminal in Clown Suit Holds Up Casino in Chile

Leslie — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 15:51:25 +0000

As Halloween has increased in popularity in Chile, it has become more than a good day for kids and candy manufacturers. The Chilean media (El Mercurio, LUN, Teletrece, etc) reported a very peculiar Halloween crime. At the Casino Monticello, a 27-year-old man dressed up as a clown, assaulted a cashier, and stole a bunch of money.

Sorry, no picture of the clown suit! Photo via emol.com

The following is a translation of an article in El Mercurio, November 1, 2011.

One subject took advantage of the Halloween celebration to perpetrate an assault on the Casino Monticello, in the Sixth Region, using a clown costume.

The act occurred close to 4:30 in the morning, in the game salon on the premises, where the individual intimidated one of the bingo cashiers and obtained $6 million pesos (about 11 976 U.S. dollars.)

Later he fled through an emergency exit and dispersed a few shots with a blank gun to prevent them from following him.

The act caused fear among those in attendance, though no one was injured.

Following the attack, police, in coordination with the venue’s security personnel, detained the suspect, who was transferred to the commissary of Graneros.

According to Casino Monticello, the entire stolen amount was recuperated.

I saw on TV last night that the clown-thief is a 27-year-old father of two, severely in debt. He blamed his bad economic situation as his motivation for the crime.

Happy Halloween!!!

Leslie — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 11:36:09 +0000

Happy Halloween! I picked up this devil wig on the sidewalk here in Santiago. It made me insanely happy. Here´s to the spirit of self-reinvention, on Halloween and every other day of the year!! xx