“Retail traders want to be distinctive by offering sizes not usually available in retail. This concerns larger, more exclusive kiwi fruit,” says Ronnie Moorman, buyer and seller of kiwi fruit for Willem Dijk AGF BV. That’s why size and quality are leading when making decisions regarding the kiwi fruit assortment for the wholesaler. To supply the specialist shops, primarily Zespri kiwis – about 75 per cent – are offered, and Ronnie mentions Zespri’s focus is more on retail than specialist shops. “Our customers don’t expect actions, they want honesty, availability and price.” However, that’s not the case for all major brands. “These are brands that can’t be ignored due to all of their marketing, and that’s affecting us more and more.” The remaining 25 per cent is currently supplemented with Greek kiwi fruit, because of their more competitive prices. The percentages might vary slightly due to supply. For example, only green kiwis are currently available, and sizes are small.
Shelf life perils
Generally, Willem Dijk AGF has noticed demand for green kiwis is about 60 per cent, against 40 per cent for the yellow-fleshed kiwi fruit. Ronnie concludes that kiwi gold has some shelf life problems, which is why this version wasn’t available anymore very early in the season. “Kiwi gold is sensitive to decay when temperatures are low, and the manipulation for the shelf life regarding that isn’t up to scratch yet.”
Up to some weeks ago, there was some JinGold supply from Italy, and a lot of yellow-fleshed kiwi of the Sorelli brand is now available from Greece, but Ronnie mentions this kiwi fruit is very different regarding flavour, and it can therefore not be compared to the well-known kiwi gold. He predicts that in future, a gold variety will be improved in such a way that it will no longer have these problems. Ronnie has seen an increasing demand for red kiwi fruit from catering and from Asian countries, and he expects that more red kiwi fruit will be available to meet this demand in Europe from 2020. “Red is definitely going to become a thing,” he says. “It’s not a consumer trend, because red puts people off, but catering has demand for an exclusive product.”
More information
Willem Dijk AGF BV
De Ossenboer 2
7547 SJ Enschede
T: 053 486 47 50
F: 053 432 59 80
www.willemdijk.nl
ronnie@willemdijk.nl