In January 2023, Agrícola La Palma became a member of the Chilean Trade Association of Prune Processors and Exporters, an association founded in 2005 that represents more than 75% of Chile’s prune exports.
But as of January of this year, the company changed its name to Exportadora Chelenko (a name taken from the beautiful lake in southern Chile, also known as General Carrera).
Why the change? “We had been operating under the agricultural company’s name with very good results up until now. This change, in addition to a new corporate structure, signifies the definitive launch of the export company with all that entails,” says Mateo García Pereira, general manager of Chelenko.
Chelenko is an exporter whose partner growers, based in the Lolol and Colchagua valleys in VI Region, cultivate more than 400 hectares of fruit. The company processes its fruit at the Mercofrut plant in Chimbarongo.
Projections for this year
Regarding 2025, in terms of prunes, he notes that it was a good year for the company: “We have been growing in volume, and the results in terms of returns to the field—which is our number one objective (since we are an exporter representing producers)—have been good. We are satisfied with the results so far,” he says.
Regarding this year, he adds that the most important thing is to offer producers competitive prices. “We see ourselves as an exporter that serves producers, and the idea is to reinforce that perspective. We expect to produce around 2 million kilos of prunes during this period,” adds Mateo García.
Today, Chelenko has clients in more than 15 countries.
“We have considerable experience in various markets, so we carefully select the clients we work with. We look for serious, trustworthy people who share a similar business vision with us. Our clients, just like us, are links in the chain that stretches from the fruit hanging on the tree to the end consumer, which is why building trust is very important to us. The exporting company’s focus is on maximizing the profitability of the agricultural business by fostering long-term relationships with producers in Chile and clients in the main consumer countries.”
