New Zealand kiwifruit sales to China are booming, with exports to that country accounting for around a third of kiwifruit marketer Zespri’s international sales growth.
New Zealand newspaper the Dominion Post reported Zespri has forecast China could become the company’s second-largest market within 10 years.
The company will market 7m trays of Green and Gold fruit in China this year and expects to lift that total to 9m next year, which could raise the annual value of the export crop by about NZ$20m, the newspaper reported.
The company sells premium-branded fruit to the rapidly growing affluent Chinese middle-class market at top prices, pitching it as safe food from New Zealand with health benefits.
“China is enormously important to us,” Zespri chief executive Lain Jager told the Dominion Post.
According to a report in the June edition of Asiafruit Magazine, Zespri this year created a China-specific TV commercial, to run in conjunction with activities, such as in-store sampling and promotions, to raise awareness of its produce there.
The magazine also reported Zespri was extending its promotions to target tier-two cities in China like Ningbo, Hangzhou, Tianjin and Shenzhen.
Speaking at Asiafruit Congress in Hong Kong in September, Zespri China's marketing manager Rita Chen said the kiwifruit category was still underdeveloped in China and provided significant room for growth.
The tagline for Zespri's marketing campaign in China is 'Small fruit with big goodness', leveraging market research thatshowed consumers were focused on nutrition.
'Our target audience is women with children, and single or married young women who care about their health,' Ms Chen said.
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