New Zealand kiwifruit marketer Zespri continues its global engagement following participation at Asia Fruit Logistica in Hong Kong, where it met with distributors and trade partners to review market progress and outlook.
According to CEO Jason Te Brake, the event drew over 1,500 visitors to the company's stand, allowing discussions on consumer demand, trade conditions, and future growth. "In contrast to last year's event, which focused on growth and opportunity in the region, this year had a more reflective tone, centred on working through challenges together to achieve the best possible outcomes – a clear sign of the shift in mood across many of our Asia markets," he said.
Te Brake noted that "despite some tough economic headwinds, there's strong confidence in the Zespri brand," with trade partners focused on maintaining value for growers through the rest of the season. The company reported record sales during China's mid-autumn festival period. "The team on the ground has done an outstanding job of working with our customers to drive run rates, and we're poised to finish the season strongly," he said.
He added that while the Chinese market had been more challenging this year, sales had increased in recent weeks.
In Europe, Te Brake reported ongoing strong performance with weekly record sales. "We still have ambitious targets to close out the season earlier than last year, especially on Green, and we are seeing early signs of increased competition from locally grown, non-Zespri kiwifruit, but I'm confident that we'll close the season positively," he said. Around 159 million trays, representing close to 80% of the crop, have been sold so far.
In the United Kingdom, promotional activities have been carried out through sampling campaigns aimed at reaching 140,000 consumers. Events were held at train stations in Birmingham, Stratford, and Manchester, and at public venues such as the Royal Horticultural Society's Wentworth Woodhouse Flower Show and Goodwood Food Festival. In-store sampling at Tesco and Sainsbury's supported a year-on-year sales increase.
Zespri's Northern Hemisphere Global Supply (ZGS) program is expected to start once the New Zealand season concludes. Forecasts indicate that SunGold Kiwifruit production from the Northern Hemisphere will grow by 22.3% compared with 2024, driven by an 11.2% increase in planted area and favourable weather conditions. Green Kiwifruit procurement is also expected to rise by 6% to around seven million trays.
The company manages about 30% of the global kiwifruit trade, sourcing from approximately 2,800 growers and 3,200 orchards across 14,500 hectares in New Zealand, with 80% of production located in the Bay of Plenty region.
Source: SunLive
