Unveiled at Fresh Produce India earlier this year, IG International’s IGKiwi brand has wasted no time making its mark. Tarun Arora, director of the Mumbai-based importer, discusses the brand’s rapid evolution and future outlook.
You launched the IGKiwi brand earlier this year. What sort of traction has it gained in the Indian market?
Tarun Arora: Now that our own brand, IGKiwi, has been successfully established, it is selling as one of more premium products in the market. We are holding surveys in all markets and we can only see IG kiwi on the shelves of wholesalers. IG kiwi has become a sensation in the Indian market and an overnight success story. We are currently shipping over 250 tonnes from Chile per week on average and we are confident the growth rate will continue improving over the season.
You allude to Chile being a key supplier. How has your 2016 Chilean kiwifruit import programme shaped up compared to previous seasons?
TA: To date, Chilean kiwifruit exporters have shipped 2,219 tonnes over the 2016 season. This represents an outstanding 550 per cent increase in volume from the 476 tonnes shipped last year until week 27. IG International has handled approximately 80 per cent of the total Chilean volume to India until now.
What makes Chilean fruit such an attractive proposition for both your company and end consumers?
TA: The taste of Chilean kiwifruit of the fruit is excellent and I feel the biggest difference (compared to other producers) is shelf life. Our suppliers have done excellent job in delivering the best quality fruit in terms of shelf life. Everything comes packed in MAP bags, which extends the overall shelf life of the product. Our distribution channel, supported by strong back-end infrastructure, helps in delivering a top quality product to wholesalers and end consumers. Price is an important factor but I can confidently say that we are achieving strong returns for our Chilean suppliers. For Chilean kiwifruit, I see double-digit growth year-on-year over the next five years.
You have launched a new promotional campaign called Kiwolution to support the IGKiwi brand. What has this involved and how has it gone?
TA: Kiwolution has done very well. We have run a commercial on television, while our Kiwo mascot has been used in our media and digital campaigns. The pleasing thing is consumers are associating IGKiwi with Kiwolution. Consumer loved the Kiwolution idea and our goal to get more consumers onboard with kiwifruit in India.
An extended version of this interview will appears in the July/August edition of Asiafruit.
