More than 600 people attended Zespri's Momentum Conference at Mercury Baypark Stadium, Mount Maunganui. Photo / Jamie Troughton – Dscribe Media
More than 600 people attended Zespri's Momentum Conference at Mercury Baypark Stadium, Mount Maunganui. Photo / Jamie Troughton – Dscribe Media
Kiwifruit industry giant Zespri anticipates the value of global fruit sales doubling or tripling under its 2035 strategy.
The world’s largest marketer of kiwifruit formally launched its goal to become the world’s healthiest fruit brand by 2035, at its Momentum Conference, which started in Tauranga today.
Mercury Baypark Stadium hosted more than 600 kiwifruit growers, shareholders, post-harvest industry leaders, supply-chain partners, and customers from around the world at the two-day event.
It was the first time the conference had been held since Zespri’s brand refresh in 2020.
Zespri chief executive Jason Te Brake said in his address that the 2035 strategy responded to a rapidly changing global environment and the need to stay ahead of five factors: shifting consumer expectations, increasing competition, climate pressures, geopolitical uncertainty and accelerating technological change.
Zespri, headquartered in Mount Maunganui, achieved $5 billion in global sales revenue last year with 220.9 million trays sold, exceeding the $4.5 billion target set in 2015.
Te Brake said Zespri’s 2035 strategy went beyond financial performance.
“We’re aiming to be at the forefront of the global fruit category by championing health and nutrition for our consumers, delivering leading products through a resilient future supply chain, and providing leading value to growers.”
He said consumers were seeking healthier food choices and markets were becoming more complex, while technology transformed how people shopped and how businesses operated.
“This strategy positions us to thrive in that environment, continuing to deliver high-quality, great-tasting Zespri kiwifruit.”
Zespri chief executive Jason Te Brake announces the brand's 2035 strategy at the Momentum Conference. Photo / Jamie Troughton/Dscribe Media
The 2035 strategy would prepare the kiwifruit industry to be fit for the future.
He broke it down into three strategic drivers: unleash brand-led demand, transform global supply, and create the product portfolio of the future.
Zespri would use several metrics to measure progress.
For consumers, it would track brand premium – the willingness to pay more for Zespri fruit than other brands — across 15 core markets.
Its ambition was to have 100% of those markets achieve a brand premium score above 110, up from the current 40%.
Zespri would also establish five- and 10-year targets for how the company performed as the “top-of-mind brand” for the healthiest fruit in those core markets.
Te Brake said he expected to see today’s global kiwifruit sales value double and potentially triple.
“Most importantly, we’ll double the value of our returns to provide sustainable and leading returns back to our growers.”
The three key strategic drivers of Zespri's 2035 strategy were unleash brand-led demand, transform global supply, and create the product portfolio of the future. Photo / Jamie Troughton – Dscribe Media
Zespri also expected its share of the global fruit bowl value lift from 0.65% to 0.70-0.80% by 2035.
For growers, the strategy’s success would be measured through regular grower surveys and orchard gate returns (OGR).
The current satisfaction score for New Zealand growers was 80, up from below 50 two years ago.
Zespri’s long-term target was to achieve and sustain a score above 70.
By 2035, Zespri aimed to reach between 1.5 and two times the current average OGR per hectare in both New Zealand and Zespri Global Supply growing regions.
Zespri would also baseline its current employer-of-choice performance using engagement measures with established people, and set a 2035 target from there.
Te Brake said these priorities were “the engine of value creation for Zespri”.
“Our 2035 strategy sets us up to keep growing value for New Zealand and our global partners, and to deliver the healthiest fruit experience to consumers around the world.”
Bijou Johnson is a multimedia journalist based in the Bay of Plenty. A passionate writer and reader, she grew up in Tauranga and developed a love for journalism while exploring various disciplines at university. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Classical Studies from Massey University.
