The New Zealand kiwifruit season is in full swing for Zespri, and the company is approaching it with great enthusiasm. "The New Zealand season has got off to a fantastic start for Zespri. The excellent quality of the first Zespri kiwifruit and the growing demand in Europe have certainly contributed to this," says Jochen Wyns, Regional Market Manager Benelux at Zespri. "We're seeing increasing demand; consumers continue to eat more and more kiwifruit in our region, with the Netherlands and Belgium already ranking in the global top five for per capita consumption."
"SunGold and our green Hayward kiwifruit are the perfect match with summer fruits thanks to their quality, refreshing taste, and the many possible food combinations," Jochen continues. "After this excellent start to the season, we look forward to maintaining this momentum in the summer months."
When asked whether growth is expected this year, Jochen is clear. "Absolutely! Based on the results we've achieved in the Benelux over the past eight weeks, 2025 is well on track to continue Zespri's strong growth trajectory as a kiwifruit brand. We also started selling SunGold kiwifruit a few weeks earlier this year, underscoring our ambition to maintain a year-round presence in fruit bowls and on store shelves. This ambition is supported by strong market demand, from specialty stores and markets to supermarket chains."
Much larger sizes
"In Belgium and the Netherlands, we're seeing clear results from our media campaigns and collaborations with wholesalers and retailers, which have further boosted demand," he explains. "Zespri is now the second most popular fruit brand in the Benelux, and we're present in the fruit bowls of one in two households. SunGold is particularly popular among families with children, while our green kiwifruit remains a favorite thanks to its flavor and many health benefits."
According to Jochen, quality has also seen a notable improvement after some challenging years. "We're seeing excellent quality across our varieties, and the season has been so successful for SunGold that we're offering much larger sizes. While size 22 was typically our largest average offering, we're now even seeing size 18 in our markets. Since consumers love this, it opens up even more marketing opportunities for our partners."
Growing organically
He also notes that the organic segment is expanding. "With increasing demand for organic products in supermarkets, our organic lines are growing significantly faster than conventional kiwifruit. Although still a smaller segment, it signals a clear trend. Organic and sustainable are no longer just trends; there is now a defined consumer profile seeking organic kiwifruit in sustainable packaging. This aligns perfectly with our goals as the Zespri brand and presents an exciting challenge for us and our supply chain partners to provide a consistent supply of top-quality organic kiwifruit."
Home compostable sticker label
Zespri is also taking steps toward fully recyclable packaging. "We've been working with our partner Sinclair for three and a half years on a home compostable sticker label, and we're proud to say that since its launch in October last year, we've implemented this label in Europe. The rest of Zespri will follow over the course of this year. The final step was developing a compostable adhesive, which now makes the sticker completely degradable within one year. All components are food-safe, and the labels are TÜV Austria certified," Jochen explains.
"At Zespri, we chose not to keep this innovation to ourselves but to make the patent available to everyone in the fruit industry. An innovation like this only makes an impact when shared widely. We made this decision several years ago as part of our ambition to make all our packaging 100% recyclable and compostable by the end of 2025. Globally, we've already reached 86% of that goal."
"From this ambition, we are consciously innovating to embed sustainability across all our operations and are actively collaborating with our partners on this front. The ZAG (Zespri Innovation Fund) plays a key role in this, working to secure a sustainable future. Through the fund, Zespri aims to mobilize pioneers to strengthen the climate resilience of food systems and support solutions that enhance productivity and promote CO₂-reducing practices relevant to kiwifruit."
For more information:
Jochen Wyns
Zespri
[email protected]
www.zespri.com