ORANGE COUNTY, CA - What’s nutritious, fuzzy, and green—or gold—all over? Why, Zespri® Organic Kiwifruit of course! With this on-trend fruit and a booming organic produce sector, retailers have a recipe for success in driving sales performance.

“The time for organic kiwifruit is now,” said Chris Ford, Organics and Foodservice Category Manager for Oppy, Zespri’s North American sales and marketing partner. “Zespri Green and SunGold Kiwifruit are at their peak of flavor. With summer stonefruit availability wrapping up, this is the time to fill shelves with a great-tasting and nutritious fruit grown in New Zealand for quality, consistency, and an amazing eating experience.”

Ford pointed out that the greatest opportunity may lie in fixed-weight packs of organic green kiwi.

“Industrywide, sales of one-pound clamshells of organic green kiwifruit are up 76 percent compared with a year ago, according to IRI data,” he said. “We offer Zespri Green Kiwifruit in one-pound clamshells and bags. Packaging enables us to tell kiwifruit’s terrific nutrition story, share some usage ideas, and create a connection between shoppers and the brand.”

Another great reason to take advantage of the packaged kiwifruit opportunity is differentiation.

“With increasing volumes of yellow-fleshed Zespri SunGold coming into the market, packaging helps consumers understand how it differs from green kiwifruit, especially its flavor,” said Sarah Deaton, Marketing Manager, North America, Zespri. “A benefit for the retailer, of course, is that the larger unit increases the ring.”

Deaton also noted that the kiwifruit category is growing at a faster rate compared to other fruit sales, with SunGold contributing admirably to category growth.

“Efforts to build consumer awareness and trade confidence in both organic and conventional SunGold are really starting to turn the dial,” she said.

How can retailers dial in to this boming category? Deaton describes Zespri’s “A Real Snack for Real Life” SunGold campaign, which includes targeted digital media and social media outreach, digital coupons, streaming radio and traditional advertising, as well as a consumer contest offering a winner-customized prize pack worth $15,000.

“Our target consumer is a higher-income working mom—or woman who plans to start a family soon—who’s proactive about health and interested in food trends,” Deaton said. “We can see that consumers in this demographic are responding enthusiastically to the campaign now and we are confident they will be looking for organic options.”

Organic and conventional Zespri Kiwifruit is available now, with organic Green and SunGold from New Zealand continuing through the next few months.

For the latest in fuzzy fresh produce news, keep reading AndNowUKnow.

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