The European kiwifruit season starts mid-November. At the moment, Italian and French kiwifruit growers are still busy picking on the various kiwi plantations. After a very successful New Zealand season, partly thanks to the new Zespri SunGold, the European season also promises to be good this year.
"Last year our harvest wasn't so good, but that's made the plants stronger", says Nele Moorthamers, Marketing Manager at Zespri Europe. "The past months, weather conditions were exceptionally good, with warm days and cold nights. We benefited from that in Northern Italy in particular."
European SunGold driving force behind further growth
Starting this year, European Zespri SunGold kiwis will also be on shelves. The SunGold is the result of ten years of research, and is slightly sweeter than the green kiwi. Moreover, the SunGold is a strong kiwi variety, and will replace the Gold in future. Nele Moorthamers explains: "The growth story of the SunGold kiwi variety is continuing in Europe. Apart from the 4,000 ha we already have in New Zealand, we have also started with SunGold plantations in Italy. On a trial field in the Ferrara area, new plants were planted in 2012, which will enter production for the first time this season."
The European kiwi season starts in week 46 for the Zespri Green kiwis and the Zespri Gold, and SunGold will be on shelves starting from week 47. So this is the moment to put the spotlight on kiwifruit once again. This will be done through activation in stores, promotions, and a thorough update of the 'Zespri vitality app', which can be downloaded for free from: www.zespri.eu