ORANGE COUNTY, CA - 2023 served as a monumental year for Zespri™, ending the season as the No. 1 selling kiwifruit brand for the fourth straight year. With that distinction under its belt, the supplier is looking ahead to the next season, with new marketing and merchandising plans in store.

“Ending the season with positive sales results is always rewarding,” explains Darren LaMothe, Zespri’s General Manager, North America. “Our success is attributed in part to our distributors and retail partners, and we would like to thank them for a successful season as we look forward to planning the new season in May.”

Zespri’s SunGold™ generated double-digit growth in both dollars and volume, helping to solidify the top brand position, a release stated. Zespri has helped propel the kiwi category, outpacing the total fruit department growth rate by +7 points.

The company’s marketing efforts and in-store placement also helped drive retail sales for the variety. Zespri’s Taste the Obsession consumer campaign was able to generate over 1 billion impressions and distributed 2.5 million samples of the fruit, promoting brand awareness.

Eye-catching graphics on the displays matched with the consumer campaign communications, helping shoppers easily find Zespri’s kiwifruit in the produce aisles. Retailers continued to see strong sales increases with the prominent positioning of in-store displays, which resulted in a +$6M in sales compared to a year ago.

Zespri is currently planning a new consumer marketing campaign and merchandising opportunities to start another season off strong and fuel its purposeful growth. The company’s goal is to help drive global consumption of fruits and fresh produce by providing a delicious and nutritious fruit that aligns with consumers’ growing health and wellness needs.

“We are eager to work with retailers to build customized programs introducing shoppers to the kiwi category and continually drive incremental sales for the department,” states LaMothe.

Zespri encourages retailers to reach out to their account managers now to start developing plans for the exciting season, as fruit is set to arrive in May.