Zespri's European sales season is now underway, with its second and third vessels arriving in Europe. The vessels have completed Zespri's clearance processes, with fruit from those ships now being distributed to customers.
Jason Te Brake, Zespri Chief Operating Officer, says it's fantastic to be getting underway in Europe following a successful start across markets in Asia. "We're really pleased that fruit arriving in Europe is high quality, and we're looking forward to delivering this to our customers and meeting the strong demand. While it's disappointing our sales in Europe were delayed by the finding of mice on our first shipment, it's been reassuring that our systems and processes allowed us to identify, contain and manage the issue. The affected fruit remains contained, and we are continuing to work with our insurers and our shipping partner to identify the cause of the issue and identify next steps. Our European customers are excited to be getting underway. While like us, they've been disappointed by the delay, they've been understanding of the situation and supported the strong stance we've taken."
Te Brake says the Zespri brand is built on a commitment to food safety and a promise to provide high quality fruit, and it won't compromise on this. "We're also really pleased to see the NZ-EU FTA come into effect, removing the 8.8% tariff on kiwifruit exports to Europe. We've worked closely with the government to support the agreement, which will help support grower returns and our efforts to take more Zespri Kiwifruit to Europe," Te Brake concludes.
For more information:
Anna Cross
Zespri
Tel: +64 27 316 7777
Email: anna.cross@zespri.com