New Zealand recently gained access to China for persimmons and First Fresh have taken advantage of that by sending their first load by air last week. The fruit will be in the stores today. Ian Albers from, the Gisborne based company, said they just got the import permit finalised on 11th Aug. "We sent the first load last Thursday and we got it all cleared through customs without a problem."
As it is late in the New Zealand season First Fresh will be going very easy, "It is late in the season and we don't want to push the boundaries in quality. We will just send a little bit via airfreight. We also need to calculate demand, although the persimmon is grown and consumed in China they prefer to eat it soft, where as the New Zealand fruit is better when it is crunchy."
First Fresh already have strong a partner in Shanghai who they have worked with for four years. It is a specialised marketing company. Like many imported fruits the New Zealand persimmon will be marketed as a premium product in China at the high end supermarkets and on line channels.
First Fresh is also know for their Meyer lemons. According to Albers this has been a very good season with a volume of 1200 tonnes, which is up on last year. Production should continue to rise as new orchards come into full production. "Our main markets are the US, Japan and China, which have been very strong."
First Fresh will be at Asia Fruit Logistica this year in Hall 5c at stand N-61.
For more information:
Ian Albers
First Fresh
Tel: +64 6 8692132
E-mail ian.albers@firstfresh.co.nz
http://www.firstfresh.co.nz/