Gold kiwifruit takes off

Kiwifruit operates on a “gold” standard these days, and that’s good for business, marketers of fruit from New Zealand say.

“Gold kiwifruit dominates the growth curve for this category,” said Jason Bushong, division manager of Los Angeles-based Giumarra Cos. in Wenatchee, Wash.

New Zealand-based Zespri, which markets its kiwifruit through Vancouver, British Columbia-based The Oppenheimer Group, has its SunGold kiwifruit available in the U.S. from May through February, said Sarah Deaton, marketing manager for Newport Beach, Calif.-based Zespri North America.

“The New Zealand season ends in November, and Zespri kiwifruit from Italy will extend the season through February,” she said.

Oppy expects to have about 25% more SunGold kiwifruit available to customers this year, compared to 2018, said Steve Woodyear-Smith, Oppy’s vice president of categories.

“There’s plenty of excitement around SunGold, the sweeter, yellow-fleshed kiwifruit, which has established an admirable foothold at retail in a short amount of time,” Woodyear-Smith said.
 
“This season, Zespri is strategically increasing its investment in consumer outreach to support in-store activation. Expect large, prominent displays, ads, demos, coupons and more, underpinned by an inviting marketing and media campaign called ‘Let Your Taste Wander,’ developed by Zespri.”

Virtually all SunGold kiwifruit is available in 1- and 2-pound packs and single-layer trays, Woodyear said.

“We’ve discovered that when this relatively new fruit is packaged, consumers are attracted to the display and are also given the chance to learn more about the nutrition, flavor and usage of SunGold,” he said.

Gold and green volumes from Italy provide an important extension to the season, Woodyear-Smith said.

Zespri’s growing gold and green kiwifruit in Italy enables the two companies to work “toward seamless transitions between countries of origin, so the fruit is on the shelf year-round, increasing familiarity and building loyalty,” he said.

Organic SunGold, as well as organic green kiwifruit, also are available, to go with conventional green Zespri kiwifruit, Woodyear-Smith said.

Fruit likely will size a bit smaller this year because of a drier-than-normal growing season, Woodyear-Smith said.

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