Chile Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in chile, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Overview

Chile has adopted a commercial policy to open and diversify markets for its agricultural and food products. Chile has 35 international trade agreements that cover 65 markets.

Chile’s main agricultural exports include wine, fresh fruit, dairy, salmon, pork, poultry, and forestry products. In 2024, agriculture and related sectors represented approximately 25 percent of total Chilean exports ($25.3 million), 8 percent of total gross domestic product (GDP) ($26.4 billion) and employed around 10 percent of Chile’s labor force.

U.S. agricultural exports to Chile totaled $903.7 million in 2024, a roughly 10 percent decrease from 2023. Chile is the third-largest market in South America for U.S. agricultural products, after Colombia and Peru. Chile is the second-largest market in South America for U.S. consumer-oriented agricultural products with $562 million worth of export sales in 2024. The top U.S. agricultural exports to Chile are beer, dairy products, pork, poultry, beef, and wheat.

Chile has a developed food processing industry that generates $23.3 billion annually and is forecast to grow by 35 percent by 2030. Healthy foods, gourmet foods, prepared foods, and ready-to-eat meals show large potential for growth in the Chilean market. Chilean consumers have an increasing concern for health-related issues while the food processing industry continues to adapt to the nutritional labeling law, higher labor costs, and sophisticated consumers, all of which present challenges, but also opportunities for U.S. high value-added products and ingredients.

Chilean Processed Food Industry

In 2024, food and beverage processing represented roughly 24 percent of Chile’s exports, at $23.9 billion. The food processing industry is the second largest economic export sector after mining. According to ProChile, the Chilean Export Promotion Agency, the food processing sector employs over two million workers. The United States maintained its position as the second largest supplier of consumer-oriented products to the Chilean market, after Brazil, with an approximate market share of 11 percent in 2023.

Chilean food processors sell their products nationally and internationally. The Foreign Investment Agency of Chile (InvestChile) reports that 54 percent of Chile’s total food production is destined for the domestic market and 46 percent is exported to more than 180 countries worldwide.

The Chilean food and beverage processing industry consists of more than 30,500 food processing companies. Some large international companies use their production plants in Chile to serve other markets in Latin America. Chilean food processing companies sell 60 percent of all processed food products to supermarkets and hypermarkets. A smaller share, 38 percent, of packaged food is sold through smaller retailers such as mom-and-pop shops and food/drink specialists.

There are three main reasons for Chilean companies to import food products and ingredients: (1) if the products are not available domestically through local production (2) if it is cheaper to import rather than buy domestically; or (3) if imported products offer a higher quality than those available in the domestic market.

For further information on food processing ingredients please see Food Processing Ingredients GAIN report.

Retail Food Market

Chile has been one of Latin America’s fastest-growing economies in the last decade, enabling the country to have a modern and dynamic food retail industry and a modern, highly competitive supermarket sector. Retail food sales totaled $29.76 billion in 2024, an 11 percent increase over 2023. Supermarket food sales totaled $15.93 billion and represented approximately 54 percent of total retail food sales in 2024. There are five main retail groups in Chile: Falabella, Cencosud, Walmart Chile, Ripley, and La Polar. Falabella and Cencosud have department stores, home centers, and supermarkets/hypermarkets.

Chilean supermarket chains use two systems to supply products in their stores: distribution through suppliers, where suppliers deliver products directly to each store, and centralized distribution where suppliers deliver products to a distribution center that then delivers to individual stores.

Imported food and beverage products for the food retail sector may enter Chile through the following channels:

  • Direct imports: large supermarket chains import directly from foreign producers/exporters and own most of the wholesale supermarkets, which then redistribute to smaller stores as well. They operate large distribution centers that supply the entire country.
  • Indirect imports: distributors and wholesalers import products to distribute to retail stores.

Most of the independent stores get their products at discount prices from wholesalers which act as an intermediary since smaller stores do not generally have the logistics capacity to import.

Important factors for Chilean consumers’ purchasing decisions are store location, price, and promotional activities. Chilean consumers are well-informed, compare prices, and look for promotions and variety before making a purchase. A determining aspect that is driving consumers’ behavior is innovation and adoption of new technologies. Chile has widespread internet access and vast access to technology, pushing Chilean consumers to online shopping.

The family size has gradually decreased in Chilean cities. Large families are less frequent, and single-person households are more common. These trends are shaping the way Chileans buy groceries and demand food services. Smaller households with less storage space make frequent purchases from grocery stores located near their homes or jobs.

For more information on the retail market see Retail Foods GAIN report.

Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourist Industry

Chile offers excellent opportunities for U.S. food and beverage exports, especially for those U.S. companies seeking to initiate or expand exports to Chile’s retail and hotel and restaurant industry (HRI) sectors. Chilean consumers appreciate U.S. food and beverage products as they are considered high quality. The restaurant sector in Chile stands out as the region’s leader in chain establishments. This organized structure has contributed to the sustained growth of the sector and the consolidation of local and international brands in the Chilean market.

The pandemic prompted many changes with the advancement of online ordering and home delivery. For restaurants, online ordering developed from being almost insignificant in 2019 to representing 23 percent of value in 2022. In order to be successful, restaurants now need to be able to develop an attractive online presence.

For further information on food services please see Food Service – Hotel Restaurant Institutional.

Business Recommendations and Import Procedures

Potential exporters should familiarize themselves with Chilean import regulations to successfully seize market opportunities and overcome potential market challenges. For details on how to export agricultural products to Chile, exporters should refer to Chile’s Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) reports: Chile: Exporter Guide, Chile: FAIRS Export Certificate Report and Chile: FAIRS Country Report.

The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) recommends U.S. exporters exhibit or attend Chilean trade shows, particularly the U.S. Pavilion at the Espacio Food & Service show. The show is recognized as the most important annual gathering in the Chilean food industry and provides the opportunity to connect with over 28,000 Chilean and international buyers. A trade show can help companies contact local distributors/sales agents, buyers, and businesspersons, and become familiar with local competition. In the case of new-to-market companies, exporters should be prepared to provide support for in-store and media promotions to familiarize consumers with their products. Another option for exporters is to participate in state/regionally organized trade missions.

Exporters should adjust their product to local preferences and, if possible, prepare promotional materials in Spanish, and assign a specific budget to promote their product locally. Exporters should develop an appropriate marketing campaign that informs the consumer about the origin of the brand. Slogans and marketing materials should be understood in Spanish, and Spanish labeling is mandatory for all products.

While regulations are relatively transparent, changes are not widely advertised. Hence, the exporter or his/her representative must monitor the official journal (Diario Oficial), where periodical changes are published. The websites of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Health are additional resources U.S. exporters may consult.

Potential exporters should contact the FAS office in Santiago, Chile for inquiries or requests of assistance to export agricultural products to Chile or with help identifying appropriate business contacts. U.S. companies seeking to export food products to Chile are advised to conduct exploratory research to understand the Chilean market. FAS GAIN reports are a good source of country specific information. Exporters work closely with FAS to promote U.S. food products through SaborUSA’s Facebook and Instagram accounts and to strengthen the community of U.S. food lovers on social media.

Opportunities

  • Cheese and ice cream

  • Beer

  • Sauces, mixed condiments and seasonings

  • Spirits

  • Beef

  • Pork (bacon)

  • Snack foods

  • Candy and confections

  • Wheat and corn

  • Tree nuts

  • Pet food

  • Feed (corn gluten meal, soybean products)

  • Flours and starches

  • Animal and vegetable fats and oils

  • Peptones and other proteins

  • Legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas)

For further information regarding the Agricultural and Food sectors, contact the U.S. Foreign Agricultural Service.