Zespri International Limited is the largest marketer of

kiwifruit Kiwifruit (often shortened to kiwi), or Chinese gooseberry, is the edible berry (botany), berry of several species of woody vines in the genus ''Actinidia''. The most common cultivar group of kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis var. deliciosa, ...

in the world, selling in over 50 countries. Its international headquarters is in

Mount Maunganui Mount Maunganui (, ) is a major residential, commercial and industrial suburb of Tauranga located on a peninsula to the north-east of Tauranga's city centre. It was an independent town from Tauranga until the completion of the Tauranga Harb ...

, New Zealand. However, it has licensed growers in Australia, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, and South Korea, with trials in place in several other countries. Kiwifruit from New Zealand is available from May to October. To satisfy year-round consumer demand, Zespri markets kiwifruit from Italy from November to January. Zespri's portfolio of kiwifruit varieties includes Green, Organic, and SunGold.

History

Zespri was first established in 1988 under the name of the "New Zealand Marketing Board" before it formed as a co-operative of kiwifruit growers in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

in 2000 and renamed itself "Zespri International Ltd." Cuttings of Zespri Sungold Kiwifruit have been illegally smuggled to China, where they are competing with the “counterfeit” fruit grown in unauthorized orchards in the China market. Zespri's popularity has seen a recent increase in Australia, due largely in part to a marketing campaign containing two dancing and singing kiwifruit. In February 2023 Zespri said that they were planning on listing on the

NZX New Zealand's Exchange (), known commonly as the NZX, is the national stock exchange for New Zealand and a publicly owned company. NZX is the parent company of Smartshares, and Wealth Technologies. , the NZX had a total of 179 listed securiti ...

later that year. Kiwifruit growers would still be the only people who could own Zespri shares.

Kiwi Brothers

The Kiwi Brothers are

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, sports team, university society, society, military unit, or brand, brand name. Mascots are als ...

characters of Zespri International Japan Co., Ltd. ''(''Zespri's Japanese subsidiary). A character unit based on Zespri's flagship product,

. When they first appeared, there were two: Green, the Green Kiwi, and Gold, the Sungold Kiwi. Later, Red, the Ruby Red, joined them. Although they are called "Brothers," they are not actually brothers. Zespri previously used a character called "Zespri-kun," but in 2016, the Kiwi Brothers were introduced. For the first two years, the characters were only available in Japan, but due to their popularity in Japan and the promotional effect of the characters success, Zespri began to expand overseas, and in 2018, the characters were used in promotions in the Netherlands, and in 2019, in South Korea and other countries. In April 2022, at the company's ceremony (commemorating the start of sales of this season's Kiwi), the Kiwi Brothers mascots performed a dance to "

Kōjō no Tsuki is a Japanese song written in the Meiji period. Japanese pianist and composer Rentarō Taki composed the music as a music lesson song without instrumental accompaniment in 1901. The song was included in the songbook for Junior High School stud ...

", which caused a stir on social media. New Zealand Prime Minister

Jacinda Ardern Dame Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern ( ; born 26 July 1980) is a New Zealand politician and activist who was the 40th prime minister of New Zealand and Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party, leader of the Labour Party from 2017 to 2023. She was ...

also attended the event and posed for a commemorative photo with the Brothers.

Kiwifruit Breeding Centre

The Kiwifruit Breeding Centre is an even joint venture between

Plant & Food Research Plant & Food Research (Māori: Rangahau Ahumāra Kai) is a New Zealand Crown Research Institute (CRI). Its purpose is to enhance the value and productivity of New Zealand's horticultural, arable, seafood and food & beverage industries. The in ...

and Zespri, based in

Te Puke Te Puke ( ) is a town located southeast of Tauranga in the Western Bay of Plenty of New Zealand. It is particularly well known for the cultivation of kiwifruit. Te Puke is close to Tauranga and Maketu, which are both coastal towns/cities, a ...

that commenced in October 2021. It also operates out of

Kerikeri Kerikeri () is a town in the Bay of Islands, in the Far North District of the North Island of New Zealand. It lies at the head of Kerikeri Inlet, a northwestern arm of the Bay of Islands, where fresh water of the Kerikeri River enters the Paci ...

Motueka Motueka is a town in the South Island of New Zealand, close to the mouth of the Motueka River on the western shore of Tasman Bay. It is the second largest in the Tasman Region, with a population of as of The surrounding district has a numb ...

and Mt Albert. It is a research and development centre focused on improving kiwifruit breeding and cultivation. The initial aims are to develop kiwifruit varieties that are healthier, better tasting, and more sustainable for the environment. Matt Glenn is the inaugural CEO of the centre.

References

External links

ZespriZespri FR
{{Actinidia species and kiwifruit New Zealand companies established in 1997 Food and drink companies of New Zealand Food and drink companies established in 1997 Kiwifruit Companies based in Tauranga