New Zealand on show at Asia Fruit Logistica

More than 20 New Zealand businesses were showcased at Asia Fruit Logistica 2024 with the latest developments from the leading Southern Hemisphere exporter share with the global fresh produce trade.

Chris Metcalfe, Trade commissioner to Beijing at New Zealand Trade & Enterprise (NZTE), said the event offered the perfect opportunity to highlight the best New Zealand has to offer after a couple of tough years of poor weather.

“It was really important to make sure we came back with a bit of a bang and maintain our premium positioning. We ask for a premium price because our producers invest so heavily on research and innovation of quality, safety and taste, so we have to do something to make sure that people understand why they’re paying more,” says Metcalfe.

As the country’s international business development agency NZTE assists New Zealand companies with their work overseas, whether it be connecting partners or helping refine market strategies.

While Metcalfe is responsible for the Chinese market NZTE had representatives from Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia at Asia Fruit Logistica as well.

“It’s been good, just to see how people are feeling moving forward and after a tough year last year, there’s quite a bit of enthusiasm. Our production bounced back particularly in terms of quality. In terms of value we bounced back 9-10 per cent,” said Metcalfe.

“In the China market we are a bit above last year but there is more enthusiasm in the market, which is positive.”

Metcalfe says the China market is becoming increasingly competitive and NZTE is always working on new ways it can help New Zealand businesses gain an edge. He notes the importance of finding the right partners and branding. “Education and branding can be done through partners. Chinese consumers are very discerning and very interested in health and nutrition. New Zealand has a story to tell but that can be quite hard for smaller companies so working with partners in things like livestreaming can help.

“This year we organised a digital apple launch where we created a personality test – which is very popular in the Chinese social media scene right now – to match personalities to different New Zealand apple varieties.

“The aim was to help people understand their imported apples are coming from New Zealand, what’s interesting about them, and why they might want to pay premium for them.”

Karen Morrish, chief executive of New Zealand Apples & Pears (NZAPI) says building relationships with Asian customers plays an important role and the New Zealand pavilion provides a platform for the industry.

“For our growers it (Asia Fruit Logistica) is chance to meet all of your customers in one place at one time, which is fantastic,” says Morrish.

“To have a combined stand tells the New Zealand story, but also allows those who don’t quite want to venture out on their own to still have a really good presence.”

Morrish says the New Zealand story is still an important differentiator in export markets but years of research and development into new varieties has allowed New Zealand to deliver a range of offerings to suit different tastes across different markets.

“From an apple perspective you’ve got Japan which likes a large apple whereas Vietnam might want a smaller size. It’s making sure to meet not just the taste profile, but the consumer lifestyle. Understanding their shopping choices, and who will be buying it – is it for small children? or is it for occasions? – all of that matters,” says Morrish.

One of the drivers of this development has been Plant & Food Research which has played a role in the development of a number of popular new varieties out of New Zealand. Mark Piper, chief executive of Plant & Food Research says visiting Asia Fruit Logistica allows the Crown Research Institute to meet distributors of the varieties it has bred and discuss further collaboration.

“We’re able to support some of our growers from New Zealand and meet some of the distributors that sell New Zealand products, and we say we’ve got the science and research that sits behind what you’re selling. And some of those varieties are grown in New Zealand, but also internationally,” says Piper.

“We met some of the growers from the first South African trial of Piqa pears and we’ve got some going in China and Vietnam. We try to understand how they are growing and how we can support the growth of the brand globally.”

Piper says it is important to have new things in the works, either brand offerings or varieties, particularly in a fast moving market like Asia. He signposts new developments for Piqa are around the corner and new apple, pear and kiwifruit varieties are in the pipeline.

“Wanting new things that continue to delight is pretty important. We also do a lot of collaborations in this region, we do a lot of work in Vietnam, Philippines, mainland China, both on a research and with growers,” says Piper.

International cooperation plays a crucial part in Plant & Food’s work, exchanging of research can benefit all parties and Piper notes some of the important relationships built in Asia.

“We’ve just signed an agreement with the New Zealand government to do passionfruit research in Vietnam and help growers there. We did work on dragon fruit in Vietnam and we now grow dragon fruit in New Zealand. We also work closely with research institutes in China,” says Piper.

“It’s not all just about trade and dollars and cents. Bringing everyone up together globally makes a difference.”