“Our ambition - Year-round Rojo Brillante kakis from multiple continents”

The new Spanish kaki season is just around the corner. KakiFresh Nature, the Spanish cultivation company of HillFresh International, expects to harvest 10 million kilograms of kakis of the Rojo Brillante variety this year. By purchasing a young orchard last year, KakiFresh Nature has brought the cultivation in-house. 

“Demand for kakis is currently growing alongside production, but we expect a tripling of production in coming years. That is why we are working hard to also sell kakis outside of Europe. We have also started cultivating in the Southern Hemisphere, because our ambition is to supply a year-round kaki concept in future,” says Kees van den Heuvel.

KakiFresh Nature will start the first Spanish kakis in week 40. “Prospects are good. The weather circumstances have been optimal, with not too much rain and wind. We therefore have very few losses, and sales will be 15 per cent higher. As yet, we still have many small and medium sizes, but if we get more rain in coming weeks, sizes will increase somewhat,” Van den Heuvel expects.

“We cultivate in Spain, in several regions of Valencia and Huelva. Cultivation starts in Valencia, but we want that region harvested by mid-November because of increasing chances of hail. We then switch to our productions in Huelva. This means we can harvest fresh kakis until January, without having to store them in cooling cells.”

“The popularity of kakis has increased sharply in recent years, but we are still in the early stages. At KakiFresh Nature, we predict great potential because of the versatility of the product - it can be used everywhere - in salads, on sandwiches, grilled and in jams. The flavour of kakis never disappoints, they are easy to eat and are a fun alternative to apples. Furthermore, the start of the Spanish season coincides with the end of the summer fruit season.”

“Retailers are really taking up kakis, and they are also open to supportive sales promotions, for they are true sales makers. Cutting plants also know their way around kakis. We are having a surprisingly good demand for organic kakis as well, although that is causing agronomic challenges due to the intensification of the Spanish cultivation.”

“The Spanish cultivation of kakis increases every year. So far, the market has been able to absorb the increasing volumes, but we expect an enormous increase of Spanish volume in coming years. It takes three years for a kaki tree become productive, and we have had a lot of trees planted in recent years. Although the European market has not yet reached its saturation point, we are also looking outside of Europe to make sure the market does not get too pressured. This is a common interest of all kaki growers in Spain. The product lends itself quite well for export to far-off destinations, such as Hong Kong, the Middle East, Brazil and Canada. Responses from the Asian market during the recently held Asia Fruit Logistica were promising,” Van den Heuvel says.

“Competition mainly comes from Korea and Brazil. Retailers are already speaking of year-round kakis, but those are mostly the old-fashioned Sharon fruit varieties from Spain, Israel and South Africa, which are now all marketed as kakis. We focus solely on the Rojo Brillante variety, which we think is the best strain available, although that is not always known globally. This variety is optimal for exporting, has an attractive shape, multiple applications and a higher weight than Sharon fruit.”

“We are doing trials on various continents in order to eventually supply a year-round concept. By now, we have planted a significant area in the Southern Hemisphere, which we will market in future,” Van den Heuvel concludes.