Amid strong competition from summer fruits, Zespri focuses on quality and strategic sales to ensure a successful 2024 season.

Zespri, a prominent kiwifruit producer, has announced a promising start to its 2024 season, with 75% of its extensive crop already shipped to customers worldwide. This year’s harvest, one of the largest on record, includes over 190 million trays. The company is prioritizing sales and maintaining value for growers, especially as they navigate the competitive summer fruit market.

Jason Te Brake, CEO of Zespri, highlighted the industry’s significant efforts to produce high-quality fruit, which has enabled the company to seize early sales opportunities. However, he acknowledged the annual challenge posed by the arrival of summer fruits such as peaches, berries, melons, and grapes, which are available in greater volumes and at lower prices. Despite this competition, Te Brake noted, “feedback from our customers has been clear that they have huge confidence in the quality of our fruit this season, and they want more of it.”

As the season progresses, Zespri faces additional competition from Chilean green kiwifruit, particularly in the U.S. market. Te Brake explained that Zespri’s sales team has been focused on achieving strong sales to position the company favorably during the summer fruit season. He also observed that challenging growing conditions for summer fruits this year could lead to these products leaving shelves earlier than usual, potentially easing market competition in the coming month.

In response to these conditions, Zespri is committed to delivering a record crop and executing robust sales campaigns. The company’s strategy aims to capitalize on the anticipated decline in summer fruit availability, creating a more favorable market space for kiwifruit. As stated in The Packer’s report, “this season’s fruit quality has us well placed to close out the season strongly in the remaining months as this summer fruit exits the market, capitalizing on clearer space in the market to support returns to our grower.”

Zespri’s focus remains on leveraging the quality of their fruit and strong market positioning to maximize returns for growers. This dedication to excellence is expected to help the company navigate the challenges of the competitive summer fruit market and ensure a successful season conclusion.