Zespri global sales top $5 billion for 2024–25 season amid strong demand
Zespri says global sales for the 2024-25 season topped $5 billion on the back of strong demand and market returns.
Harnessing the collective power of the kiwifruit industry is critical to its success, according to Zespri's general manager of marketing and innovation, Carol Ward.
Talking to Rural News ahead of last week's Zespri innovation symposium in Tauranga, Ward says the objective is to ensure everyone in the kiwifruit industry is aware of what Zespri is doing in R&D and innovation. The symposium will tell what Zespri is doing and get feedback on it.
And attendees will hear about what Plant and Food Research is doing and about entrepreneurial test work by growers.
"The connection with the grower is essential. The industry structure and our good communications mechanisms enable us to pass on new lessons to growers. We have a highly engaged grower base... adopting new technology and new practices; so we can meet the consumers' market demands.
"Also, we keep a close eye on consumer needs and desires about the fruit – taste, health properties and convenience aspects. We make sure those signals translate back to the breeding programme and through to the orchards, via the taste programme and other initiatives like that."
Ward says growers understand that Zespri's premium position in the market depends on quality, great-tasting kiwifruit. She sees strong support for understanding the market requirements and how this can be achieved by what happens in the orchard.
"From Zespri's perspective, we have a strong motivation to set our payments back to the growers that reflect those attributes of the fruit, which bring value to the industry. It's about strong grower market alignment," she explains.
There is a long lead time to bring new varieties of kiwifruit to market – 15 years is the norm. And not only does the fruit have to taste right, it has to be commercially viable and have good storage life among many essential attributes. Trying to second guess what the consumer in 20 years may want is a big challenge.
"Zespri invests heavily in consumer insight research and we do qualitative and quantitative research across all of our major markets," she adds.
"We also do testing and home placement and retail trials to try to keep in touch with the consumer.
"Not only in kiwifruit but in fruit generally that is important because we want to grow the share of kiwifruit in the [consumer's] fruit basket."
Ward says though markets differ, the common factor among all consumers is that they vote with their taste buds. Hence the huge effort that goes into producing fruit consumers find irresistible.
"Fundamentally we need to be able to deliver a great tasting fruit. There are secondary matters such as health, nutrition and convenience, the shape and aesthetics of the fruit and many other things."
Ward says in some countries kiwifruit is regarded as a snack while in others it is a dessert. And local fruit make a difference – "mangos in India or apples in Switzerland," she says.
The Zespri goal is to secure a position in the 'food basket' where kiwifruit has a high degree of acceptance and to keep growing volumes of green and gold varieties and, in future, red.
Two butcheries have claimed victory at the 100% New Zealand Bacon & Ham Awards for 2025.
A Taupiri farming company has been convicted and fined $52,500 in the Hamilton District Court for the unlawful discharge of dairy effluent into the environment.
The Climate Change Commission’s 2025 emissions reduction monitoring report reveals steady progress on the reduction of New Zealand’s climate pollution.
Another milestone has been reached in the fight against Mycoplasma bovis with the compensation assistance service being wound up after helping more than 1300 farmers.
The Government’s directive for state farmer Landcorp Farming (trading as Pamu) to lifts its performance is yielding results.
The move to bring bovine TB testing in-house at Ospri officially started this month, as a team of 37 skilled and experienced technicians begin work with the disease eradication agency.
OPINION: Spare a thought for the arable farmer, squeezed on one side by soft global prices and on the other…
OPINION: Labour leader Chris 'Chippy' Hipkins is carrying on the world-class gaslighting of the nation that he and his cohorts…