Unveiling new variety Zespri SunGold in Zeebrugge

In the morning of June 28, the first shipment of new Zespri Sungold kiwis arrived in the port of Zeebrugge. This special and official moment was celebrated by Zespri and guests on the Atlantic Clipper in the Belgian New Fruit Wharf. Around 11:30 Bert Barmans, CEO of Zespri Europe, welcomed everyone.

"Zespri would like to share this unique moment, the launch of the Sungold, with you. Zespri has had a difficult year. This in particular with the threat of the kiwifruit disease PSA which affected the Kiwi Gold production. With Sungold we are fighting the kiwi disease. The new variety has a higher tolerance against PSA. A year ago we were not sure if the plans could be realized, but we are ready. Today we are pleased with what we have achieved. We have once again faith in the future, this is Bert also thanked SEA Invest and specifically the Belgian New Fruit Wharf, for cooperation in the fruit terminal. "They always give us a fast and efficient service," he said. The port of Zeebrugge is the largest port for kiwis from New Zealand.

Click here for the photo report

Bert also stressed that the growers in New Zealand are very happy about Sungold. "They believe in the future and the new variety and we have to achieve this together. Not be afraid to tackle opportunities. The volumes that we expect in the future will be good and with Sungold there are benefits for the growers and the market. The fruit is easy to grow and production is great. For the market we see positive developments. Research shows that a large proportion of consumers appreciate the balanced refreshing sweet taste. In addition Sungold is more durable

Zespri Sungold has a different flavor than ZespriGreen and ZespriGold. "Yet it is a true Gold variety," stresses Bert. "The taste is exactly balanced, wonderfully juicy and sweet. We expect the ZespriGold to eventually completely disappear, and within a few years will no longer be available. Currently, there are good volumes. All new plantings will now be the
In collaboration with the Belgian New Fruit Wharf Zespri has a storage, packaging and cooling centre at the fruit terminal. Here the kiwis are stored and packaged to customer demand. Christophe Monos, Terminal Manager of the Belgian New Fruit Wharf, gave a tour. He showed that all kiwifruit packaging has a label where all the important information from the grower, can be traced. The Sungold and Gold varieties are stored at 0.7 degrees and the ZespriGreen at -0.5 degrees Celsius.

Click here for the photo report

www.zespri.eu