An inspector from the Washington State Department of Agriculture checks cherries in a packing facility. [Photo/VCG]

As cherry season begins in June, Chinese cherry lovers can satisfy their appetite for some US ones, such as heart-shaped Sweetheart cherries, almost the same time as their US counterparts, thanks to e-commerce giant Alibaba.

For the 2,200 cherry growers in Oregon, Washington and Idaho, 72-hour farm-to-table summer campaign begins at 4 am. Cherries are picked, packed, cleaned, chilled, and put on an international flight by evening.

Twelve hours later, they are in China, where they are re-packed and shipped, often to upper-middle class families in Shanghai and Beijing.

The above vivid description from voachinese.com shares a glimpse of Alibaba's US-China food chain starting from 2014.

Since three years ago when Alibaba initiated collaborations with the US Department of Agriculture and local farm produce organizations, Chinese consumers have been able to purchase seasonal American fruits such as cherries and apples and wild caught seafood from Alaska directly through Tmall, Alibaba's big online marketplaces in China.

Chinese shoppers consumed about 10 percent of the 200,000 tons of cherries from those states' total in past years, said Keith Hu, director of international operations at Northwest Cherry Growers, an organization that represents growers in Washington, Oregon, Utah, Montana and Idaho. "China is the largest overseas market for the Northwest cherry industry and will continue to be a key market," he said.

Hu's experience highlights how the modern grocery landscape demands both the speed and reach of international e-commerce and the local connections to access to farm-to-table produce.