Red kiwis have started to be imported into Canada.
“This is a new item. In the past, because it’s so sweet, we weren’t able to get it over here and have the quality stay fresh,” says Helen Tsai of Monco Produce Inc. in Toronto, Canada. “Now we’ve managed to meet the import requirements and the shelf-life requirements. And we’ll have more this year than last year because last year it was a trial phase. There was a lot of interest in it.”
The kiwi, which originated from China, is green inside but surrounding the middle seeded area are lines of red. “And it’s sweet,” says Tsai, adding that there’s also a related jade variety of the sweet fruit. “The problem with kiwi is a lot of times, you don’t know if it’s going to be sweet or sour inside when you buy them. But with this one, it’s always sweet.”
Consumers interested
Tsai says response from consumers was positive, even if they don’t always know what it is. “But kiwis are so well known across ethnicities that as soon as you say red kiwi, it really peaks everyone’s interest because everyone’s looking for something new and different,” says Tsai, adding that the kiwis are largely directed to retail.
The kiwis began shipping this month and will continue to come in until January. “It will be pretty steady with good volumes this year,” says Tsai. Pricing is also steady on the kiwis, which are being sold loose and in clam shell packaging.
For more information:
Helen Tsai
Monco Produce Inc.
416 232-0955
helen@monco.ca