Privately-owned analytical lab Hill Laboratories has signed a contract with Zespri, a crucial element in making sure the kiwifruit continue being tasty. Hill Laboratories is New Zealand's largest privately owned, independent analytical laboratory. It will be cooperating with Zespri Kiwifruit, New Zealand's largest horticultural exporter, to provide fruit collection and maturity testing services.
This cooperation will broaden the relationship and support the New Zealand grower's co-operative. The establishment of a Hill Laboratories' laboratory in Tauranga will complement the already functioning Hamilton, Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Blenheim labs.
The testing is part of Zespri's export maturity clearance programme where maturity samples are collected and processed before being cleared for harvesting. This plays a role in the taste programme which incentivises growers to produce tasty kiwifruit.
