MT MAUNGANUI, NEW ZEALAND - As demand for the European SunGold kiwifruit continues to rise, Zespri has announced that it plans to allocate an additional 1,800 hectares of its proprietary variety over the next three years to match. Essentially doubling production of the fruit variety in Europe, the first 1,200 hectares will be in Italy and the remaining 600 are yet to be announced.

“Twelve-month supply is a key part of Zespri’s strategy and this investment aligns our offshore production with the strong increases in New Zealand SunGold volumes, set to double to around 320,000 tonnes over the next five years,” said Zespri Chief Operating Officer, Simon Limmer.

The initial expansion will be through a longstanding partnership with the four Italian suppliers originally contracted with Zespri in 2000 to produce the previous gold variety Hort16A, which the company said ignited the gold category worldwide. These suppliers include:

• Apofruit
• Alegra–Intesa
• Salvi Unacoa
• Spreafico

Limmer said that, based on current pricing, the SunGold fruit from the first 1,200 hectares alone will generate over €100 million (about $105.85 million USD) a year in revenue for the Italian economy once the vines are fully producing, according to a press release.

“Growing Zespri Kiwifruit in Italy for the past 17 years has seen us develop strong partnerships with Italian growers and suppliers, making Italy the logical choice to expand our production base,” Limmer said.

Zespri’s President Global Sales & Marketing, Daniel Mathieson, said the company invested around NZ$160 million (about $105.85 million USD) last year in targeted marketing at trade and consumer levels, which he stated benefits the entire kiwifruit category.

“Kiwifruit makes up just 0.22 percent of globally traded fruit: our goal is to grow kiwifruit consumption around the world,” Mathieson said.

He continued, “Large-scale investments like this help us achieve that goal and meet the very strong consumer demand for this great-tasting, quality fruit, which has brought real excitement to the global kiwifruit category. We’re pleased to see the growth in kiwifruit volumes around the world, which underscores just how important it is for all kiwifruit producers to supply good quality, tasty fruit to support this category growth.”

The new plantings for the SunGold will be staged with 1,200 hectares to be established in Italy over the next two years and a further 600 hectares planned for Europe in 2019/20. The variety is managed by Zespri’s premium brand, which celebrates its 20th birthday next month.

Zespri Kiwifruit