In April 11 “Belief, Heritage, Pioneering”Belief, Heritage, Pioneering 2024 New Zealand Season Opening Conference” hosted by Zespri New Zealand Kiwifruits was held to mark the official start of Zespri Kiwifruit’s business expansion within the Chinese market until 2024.

The initial voyage of this Zespri kiwifruits’ refrigerated charter vessel, called “Kowhai,” embarked from the Port of Tauranga, New Zealand, on the 26th of March. Within less than 12 hours the vessel successfully shipped around 2100 tonnes of fresh Zespri Kiwifruits up to Nangang, Shanghai. So far there have been three refrigerated charter vessels loaded with Zespri Kiwifruits are in China. In 2024, an array of 22 chartered ships laden with Zespri’s Kiwifruits will be supplying for customers in the Chinese market, which includes Hong Kong, Macao, as well as Taiwan. It is expected that the total quantity will be 193,000 tons. This is 27% of Zespri’s worldwide market share and further securing its place as the most important supply in a market that is dominated by a single country.

In the midst of one of the most productive seasons of all time, Zespri maintains a buoyant perspective on the Chinese market

In the inaugural conference, the guests included Mr. Nathan Flowerday, Chairman of Zespri International as well as Zespri International’s Mr. Daniel Mathieson, CEO of Zespri International were present at this occasion to commemorate the harvest along with Zespri Chinese partners, and to discuss regarding the next steps for development of Zespri International’s Chinese market.

This year’s New Zealand kiwifruit season progresses well, and is poised to be one of the most important Zespri seasons so far. The Mr. Jiang Shijie, President of Zespri Group Greater China, confirmed, “China stands as one of Zespri’s strategically important markets worldwide. We’re confident and are fully prepared for a robust Zespri Kiwifruit sales on the Chinese market in 2024.” Currently, the Zespri brand tops the import fruit market, boasting an unprecedented brand recognition. Distribution channels span the 72 cities of China as well as 55,000 outlets for retail and outlets, the goal is to bring to more Chinese customers to the delicious and healthy Zespri Kiwifruits.

Zespri SunGold(tm) revenues in the Chinese market is expected to capture almost one third of the worldwide market share. In addition, the latest product offered by Zespri, Ruby Red kiwifruit (RubyRed(tm)) which is a product with independent exclusive rights to new varieties of plants, is expected to occupy half of the world market share within the Chinese market. In parallel, Zespri aims to double revenue in the Chinese market in 2028 and hopes to sell more than 60 million boxes for retail sales.

The establishment of China’s eco circle as well as encouraging the growth of economically beneficial ties with China as well as New Zealand remain focal points

In the course of the conference, the conference’s keynote speaker Mr. Nathan Flowerday engaged in deep discussions with the key partners from Zespri China Ecosystem. Zespri China Ecosystem.

He emphasized “The significant the seasonal cooperation among New Zealand and China in agriculture product trade fills in the gaps between China’s harvest and also meets the needs of Chinese buyers for imported fresh fruits during the season of spring. The remarkable synergy is an obvious advantage for Zespri Kiwifruits to expand market share in the Chinese markets.”

In relation to the development of ecosystems In his remarks on ecosystem construction, he said “I always advocated for Zespri’s China ecosystem growth and recognize the immense efforts made into Zespri’s Chinese strategic partners. The substantial investment they have made in infrastructure for port ports, logistics and warehousing as well as testing technologies, and standardized services demonstrate their faith in the Zespri brand. This is truly uplifting. I applaud the strategic vision of Zespri’s Chinese partner. Zespri intends to harness the powerful trade and economic synergies that exist between China as well as New Zealand, intensifying collaborative relations to Chinese strategic partners, as well as building a strong supply chain that can yield long-term mutual benefit.”

Enhancing the image of the brand to encourage healthier eating habits in Chinese consumer

The Zespri brand launched its recently launched health ambassadors for cartoon characters named the “Kiwi Brothers” coincides with the launch of the first ship for the season. In the year 2024 Zespri China uses this “Kiwi Brothers” imagery to enhance consumers’ engagement by highlighting the action, health as well as environmental advantages of Zespri the kiwifruits to everyone. This campaign aims at fostering an appreciation of the health benefits that are provided by Zespri Kiwifruits, and to encourage acceptance of wholesome dietary choices.

At the beginning of the conference during the opening conference, Mr. Nathan Flowerday and his delegation also had a meeting with Shanghai officials. They held discussions that included ports cooperation and intellectual property protection and efforts for collaboration to boost the environment for business. Nathan Flowerday, the president of Zespri. Nathan Flowerday expressed gratitude for the cooperation, saying “I offer my sincere appreciation to the Shanghai administration across all levels of government for providing the business environment in a favorable way and firmly protecting Zespri’s intellectual property rights. This is crucial in supporting Zespri growing kiwifruit throughout China. Being the leading kiwifruit company in the world, Zespri remains committed to the “in China benefits China principles of development by pledging to continue contributing to the “Healthy China initiative.”

Source: Zespri