"Japan is our number one market for volume and value"

Zespri has been a regular participant in Asia Fruit Logistica over the years, "This is one of the most important trade fairs in our annual calendar," says Simon Limmer, General Manager Grower & Government Relations and General Manager China for Zespri. "It’s a fantastic opportunity to catch up with all our major customers and distributors from around the world in one place; we can hold a month’s worth of meetings in a few days."

It’s also a valuable way for Zespri to check out emerging trends in the fruit market – new products, developments in packaging and such.

Zespri’s sales rates in Japan and China this season are at record weekly levels. Zespri sales in Asia have increased from 33 percent of our total volume in 2004 to 46 percent in 2013, as the company continues to build strong sales in the traditional market of Japan and develop new markets in China and Southeast Asia.

"Japan is our number one market for volume and value, and China is now our third-largest market and set to be our number one market by 2018. China now consumes almost a quarter of all fruit supplied globally," explains Limmer.

Per capita Chinese consumers eat 110 kilograms of fruit a year on average, and only one kilogram of that is kiwifruit. Zespri sees great scope for growth and market development in China.

"Volume reached the bottom of the Psa supply constriction in the 2013 season and we are now on track for strong growth, with predicted volumes of 60 million trays of Zespri SunGold by 2018. This requires strong market development and Zespri is building new markets in developing countries, including Southeast Asia," concludes Limmer.

For more information:
For more information:
Rachel Lynch
Zespri
Tel: +64 27 509 1805
Email: rachel.lynch@zespri.com