Tholen - In New Zealand, a small group of Zespri growers are angry about the fact that Zespri spent half a million NZ dollars in a "Relations Week" for international customers. Important business partners visited New Zealand for a week to discuss Zespri's future strategies and were provided with every comfort. Furthermore, guests were treated to helicopter flights. A chartered plane took them to various activities and they spent the night in nice hotels. Growers did not agree with this, because it was all funded with 'their' money.
1 billion NZ dollars in kiwifruit sales
The reaction from Zespri is this: "Zespri was delighted to receive 29 of our key customers from all over the world, who represent about one billion NZ dollars in kiwifruit sales. It was a great opportunity to showcase New Zealand's kiwifruit sector and meet with them. We look forward to such an event being organised again in the future. For us, this was a very cost-effective investment that represents about 0.5% of our annual marketing investment, amounting to $ 100 million NZ dollars. Additionally, we have organised this at a time of strong volume growth and expansion in our international markets. Our customers have certainly appreciated being able to interact strategically with Zespri, the kiwifruit industry and also with each other."