The largest kiwifruit marketer in the world, Zespri, is on a mission to grow what is already a booming North American business, aiming to grow it to the likes of their Chinese and European markets.

Darren LaMothe, the general manager for the company’s North American division, told FreshFruitPortal.com that they are trying to accelerate demand in the U.S. with a potential of 341 million consumers.

“We haven’t scraped the surface of that, so we are looking on building up our consumer base because we know that once people try our product, they will love it,” LaMothe said.

Zespri’s SunGold kiwi remains the fastest-growing fruit in the fruit bowl, and according to LaMothe, the company has doubled the size of its U.S. business in the last five years.

Regions of focus

Within the U.S., the company has taken different approaches to growing the market. LaMothe explained that they are focused on the mid-East Coast and the Pacific Coast to see “if we can create demand in certain areas, but we’re still a developing market, so we try to focus on areas with good opportunity to add value.”

Consumer perception

Regarding consumer perception of yellow kiwifruit, LaMothe said the growth of SunGold has made consumers aware of the difference between yellow and green.

"We're becoming really well known in households because when you go to the largest retailers you see green and gold, and people are curious about gold," he said. "We have also really focused on our brand, which sets us apart."

Red kiwifruit

Another of Zespri's kiwifruit varieties is the red kiwi, which, according to LaMothe, has a very short shelf life, so they are exploring what opportunities exist, but it is still focused on other markets. 

He explained that even though the U.S. is advocating for the variety, it is still not being commercialized in the country. 

Marketing efforts

Zespri just launched the "Kiwi brothers" in the U.S. this year, which is "one of our next evolutions to bring kiwis alive. Ultimately they have personalities which we are trying to integrate into the marketplace," LaMothe explained. 

With this, the New Zealand-based company is trying to bring the product closer to the customer, by putting a face to it. 

Looking ahead

Zespri is looking ahead with optimism, expecting to again double the size of its business in the next five years, with a strong plan for development that will be presented to the market. 

"We have a very innovative approach to fresh fruits, and ultimately we want to see the consumption of all fruits and vegetables to go up," LaMothe concluded.