Zespri delivers on tall sales order for Asia-Pacific market

Zespri kiwifruit headed for Japan is prepared for shipment from Port of Tauranga.

Despite having to sell 12.5 million more trays of kiwifruit than usual to the Asia Pacific region, Zespri expects to post $1.3 billion in net sales from this market for the 2024-2025 season.

Zespri President of Asia Pacific Ichiro Anzai said a record 56.4 million trays of branded kiwifruit were sold, an almost 30% lift in volume on last season.

More than 32 million trays were sold in Japan, 13.8 million in Korea and 10.2 million across the Asia Pacific south region, which includes Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and India, he said.

“While the year-on-year jump was a challenge, we’re very confident in the outlook for the market as we invest to build demand to serve more consumers and create more value for growers.

“Across the season, the team have recorded a number of strong results, including a record nine consecutive weeks of deliveries of more than one million trays in Japan, strong growth in consumer penetration in Korea (up from 27.5% to 33.4%) and Australia growing 65% to reach 4.5 million trays of Class 1 SunGold kiwifruit."

Recently commercialised Zespri RubyRed kiwifruit was also launched in Korea and Malaysia for the first time and was well-received by customers there, Anzai said.

Strong marketing campaigns had been pivotal in supporting sales throughout the record season, with a focus on promoting the health benefits of Zespri kiwifruit.

In Japan, the launch of the “Nutrition Reform Project” had been a key campaign for the season, encouraging people to swap out one unhealthy food for a serving of fresh fruit or vegetables daily, Anzai said.

It was launched across multiple digital channels, including advertising at Japan’s Shibuya Crossing — one of the world’s busiest intersections — and with the support of the Japan Dietetic Association, Tokyo Seika, that country’s largest fruit and vegetable wholesaler.

Anzai said the campaign had significantly contributed to building a strong iconic brand by promoting the importance of healthier eating habits and driving brand power growth of 0.7%.

The campaign won two prestigious Japan advertising awards and helped drive sales beyond August, enhancing customer loyalty and market demand, despite challenging market conditions.

Zespri was expecting more moderate growth in Asia Pacific region markets this year, projecting a 4% increase in fruit offered at around 58.7 million trays, Anzai said.

The global marketer, which is statutorily entitled to export all New Zealand kiwifruit, except to Australia, posted total sales of 164.2 million trays in FY24.

Its global operating revenue for the financial year was $4.21b.

Bay of Plenty-headquartered Zespri is owned by past and present kiwifruit growers.