NZ apples Rockiting into China

Rockit apples are small and are packed in plastic tubes for sale worldwide, but with a particular emphasis on the China and other key Asian countries, as well as the Middle East. The apples were originally developed by Phil Alison, but he has since sold the business and is no longer involved.

Rockit chief executive Mark O'Donnell says a huge part of the Chinese New Year celebrations - which runs from the end of January to mid-February - includes giving gifts to friends. He says the nature of the company's apples and its special packaging fits in really well with this aspect of Chinese culture.

"Gifting is a big thing in China and so we have focused on this in our promotions," O'Donnell told Hort News. "People used to give one big apple or one big something as gift, but this has now shifted as we have brought Rockit to the table."

He says the Chinese promotion is going well and typically the product sells out during the Chinese festival. An idea of the gift boxes came from their staff in China and O'Donnell says these have provided valuable market insights for company in meeting consumer needs.

"Interestingly, the Chinese New Year is bigger than China so we have people from throughout Asia picking up those gift packs and wanting them on channels in Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan and Hong Kong. They have all got significant Chinese communities who want to gift and so it's been very successful for us."

Rockit apples are renowned for their taste and the fact that they store well in their plastic tube containers, they are also considered a healthy snack. O'Donnell says the company's focus is on the busy mum trying to do the best thing for her kids by providing a healthy, fun snack that is full of energy. He says the apple also resonates with young people who play the Pac Man video game in which the favourite fruit is apples.

The Chinese market is big for Rockit. O'Donnell says it's been growing 40% year-on-year for the last two years and he expects the same growth again this year. He says demand is great news but the biggest challenge is getting the fruit into market in time for key events such as the Chinese New Year.

O'Donnell says the shipping into China isn't too bad but they have had problems with the Middle East and also struck a major problem with the USA. He says on occasions they have air freighted product to ensure a deadline is met.

One of the other challenges facing Rockit, especially in Europe, is that it is packaged in plastic, which many supermarkets are adverse to for environmental reasons.

"We have tried cardboard packaging, but the fruit doesn't store well in that environment so we are now looking at developing a biodegradable plastic tube," he says.