"SunGold volumes will surpass those of green kiwis one of these days"

Zespri have considerably more kiwis to sell on the European market this year than last year. "With SunGold, we increased from 10,5 to 15,5 million crates. This is a serious increase. The advantage of this is that we can now connect with the Italian season. Consumers, therefore, do not have to miss out on SunGold for a single moment", says Bert Barmans, General Manager Europe.

This yellow equivalent of the kiwi has proved to be a real sales hit on the European market. "The SunGold's season is slightly shorter. We are, however, not too far from the point where we will sell more SunGold than green kiwis during the season. Last year we had far too few green kiwis to trade. Fortunately, we are now back to normal volumes. This means we can stretch the season out more."

"The cultivation in New Zealand ran very smoothly this year. The kiwis also taste excellent this year", according to Bert. There is, according to him, no threat of the Kiwi disease, PSA. "Many crops have to deal with diseases and fungi. This disease is latently present in kiwi cultivation all over the world. However, thanks to the necessary techniques and preventative measures, we have this well under control. We know how to deal with it."

According to Barmans, the emergence of new sales markets does not put pressure on the volumes destined for Europe. "Europe is considered a good, stable sales market. Our production is growing, and we are growing with it. We are not the largest market for SunGold kiwis, but we are growing rapidly. We are well-represented in just about every country within Europe. Yet, there are still people who have never tasted a SunGold kiwi. So, we are doing everything possible to reach these new consumers. We are, therefore, very pleased with the results of our Dutch 'kiwibrothers' marketing campaign. we hope to do a follow-up of this next season."

Their organic kiwis are also very popular. "We have good programmes running here. The sales of organic SunGold kiwis is going better than expected. We can now also offer these from the Italian season", says Bert. "During the economic crisis years, the organic sector was somewhat overlooked. Now, however, consumers are interested again. A country like Spain is becoming an ever-increasing organic kiwi consumer. This country used to be mainly active as an organic producer."

 

Zespri is in a unique position in the kiwi market. This New Zealand kiwi sales organization is, however, not free of competition, according to Bert. "And that is only healthy. The Italian season has lasted a long time. Chile also sent good volumes to the Netherlands. We also have to earn our place among the other fruits in the consumer's fruit bowl. The interesting thing about our sector is that the situation is never the same. Although, we do not look toward other products to establish our prices."

Zespri has been developing a red kiwi for a number of years. "We are testing different varieties. However, the complete picture must be perfect before we offer these varieties. Shelf life is a particular challenge. Red kiwis are also, on average, considerably smaller in size", according to Bert. Kiwi berry cultivation also gets the necessary attention from Zespri. "We are studying this cultivation thoroughly, but it is very much still in the research phase."

For more information:
Nele Moorthamers
ZESPRI International (Europe) NV.
Bus 3 10 Posthofbrugbus
B-2600 Berchem
Tel: +32 (0) 320 108 05
Fax: +32 (0) 320 108 91
nele.moorthamers@zespri-europe.com
www.zespri.eu