Zespri SunGold sales booming

The New Zealand kiwi season has flown by. Nele Moorthamers from Zespri says that they are very happy so far, "The SunGold season, in particular, went quicker than was originally planned. Sales for the Gold variety have been, and are, booming. We see that this product appeals to the consumers, both in terms of taste and shelf-life. The trade sector is also positive about this new kiwi variety."

Currently Zespri is winding down the SunGold season, "We expect to be sold out by mid-September. After that it will only be a few weeks until the European SunGold season starts." The Green kiwi is still in season for a few more months, "That is why we are focusing on supporting the Green kiwi sales. After the summer holidays are over everyone goes back to their normal rhythm. The summer fruit gradually starts disappearing and then the Green kiwi starts to become more attractive. The weather was in our favor this year in New Zealand, allowing for extra volumes of Zespri Green. Which means we can end the season well with a seamless transition to the European Zespri season."




Right from the start of the season we completely focused on the SunGold variety, which caused a huge boost in demand. Nele: "This is very promising for the future because the SunGold volumes will continue to rise. In addition, our SunGold variety had less competition from other summer fruit than was expected, and was seen much more as a summer fruit than the Green. The SunGold fits the European taste profile and is highly valued for its balance between sweet and bitter, and its juiciness. But tastes differ. Therefore, we have different kinds: green kiwis with a fresh flavor and yellow kiwis that are super sweet and juicy. Whichever you choose, they are both healthy."

"Promotions for the Zespri kiwis are all doing well in various European markets. The 'find the golden kiwi' game in Benelux has proven to be an enormous success! In addition to participating via an app on the smartphone, consumers can also participate by using a code that is on a leaflet on the SunGold package in various supermarkets. A new series of codes have been created again and can soon be found on the pre-packaged SunGold kiwis. The promotion runs until the end of September, so take part while you still can."

"The 'BigBang' promotion in three German cities has also caused a huge 'gold rush' of sorts. During a massive tasting many consumers were able to get to know the SunGold kiwi and then went about buying them. During the promotional days in the supermarkets in the three German cities the fruit was very popular."

"Promotions in various countries are still underway. Moreover, we always get a second boost in September due to the 'back-to-school' period. We are introducing the 'color app' in a supermarket in Italy. There is a coloring page in the pre-packaged Zespri Green packs. When they scan these coloring pages using the augmented reality app, the drawing will come to life in the colors that the consumer has chosen, which is a pretty unique experience."

Tomorrow Belgium and the Netherlands will start a new promotion for wholesalers. Additional information will follow this week on AGF. 


For more information:
Nele Moorthamers
Zespri Europe
Posthofbrug 10 bus 3
B-2600 Berchem
T + 32 3 201 08 05
F +32 3 201 08 91
M +32 479 87 50 36
nele.moorthamers@zespri-europe.com
www.zespri.eu