About one million trays, or 3600 tonnes, of Zespri’s popular berry-like Zespri RubyRed kiwifruit are expected to be consumed this season.
Zespri RubyRed kiwifruit is now available in most supermarkets and fruit and vegetables stores in New Zealand and will be in markets throughout Asia Pacific including Japan, China, Taiwan and Singapore and for the first time this season in South Korea, Malaysia and Hong Kong.
Zespri chief executive Dan Mathieson said it’s exciting to reach the one-million-tray milestone for RubyRed kiwifruit, which is in its third year of commercial production.
“Our Zespri RubyRed kiwifruit volume has tripled compared to last season so it’s fantastic to have more fruit available for our customers and consumers in New Zealand and across Asia Pacific, including a number of new markets this year.
“There’s strong demand for RubyRed, which generates a really high level of excitement and uptake amongst customers and consumers, and particularly younger consumers who love the distinctive taste, colour and health benefits.”
RubyRed kiwifruit was developed through Zespri’s breeding programme in partnership with Plant & Food Research and has a smaller natural fruit size.
Mathieson said Zespri is expecting strong growth across all kiwifruit varieties this season. Aboout 193 million trays of kiwifruit will be shipped to markets around the world, with Zespri RubyRed kiwifruit crop volume increasing with new orchards coming into production.
“As our newest kiwifruit variety, we continue to build our knowledge of Zespri RubyRed kiwifruit so we can meet the strong demand we’re seeing and this includes gathering consumer feedback to drive strong per-tray returns in our markets and maximise the value we can return for our RubyRed growers.”
Marketing campaigns will support the sale of Zespri RubyRed kiwifruit across markets this year.
