"It's been a once in a lifetime type of season. Shortages of volumes from Italy brought high demand, which also meant high prices. Since we didn't have any production issues, we are looking at double the returns compared to last year. The situation also brought us a lot of opportunity to expand into new markets such as Asia and Latin America (Chile, Uruguay)," Christina said.
Competition between Italy and Greece has always been tough, but Christina said that Greek kiwis are gaining more and more ground with each passing year. She said that it is all about making export markets more familiar with Greek kiwis to increase their value.
"Our value shouldn't just be about having a competitive fruit, but we also need to have quality for added value. It's all about image, and that is what we have been busy with here at Zeus for years. We focus on high quality standards so all of our clients and markets have come to trust our brand. We are not just trading the fruit, but we are busy developing new varieties and techniques which focus on nutrition, shelf life, along with environmental protection which is what the Zeus vision is all about" shared Christina.
As gold kiwis continue to increase in demand, the company is currently busy developing their own varieties which they will be offering in the future.
"There is a lot of demand for golds, especially from Asia, which is why we started developing our own varieties as far back as 8 years ago. We still don't have enough gold kiwis at the moment from a marketing perspective, which is why we have been busy developing a gold variety at a University in Italy, which will be patented by Zeus and its associates. We are hoping to have enough of our own variety in the next 5-6years, to meet demand."
For
more information:Chrstina Manossis
Zeus
Tel: +30 2351045395
Email:christinam@zeuskiwi.gr
www.zeuskiwi.gr