Upgraded coldstore in Taizhou should offer more direct access to over 100mn consumers in south-east of country
Zespri is to upgrade its kiwifruit import facilities Upgraded coldstorage facility in Taizhou should offer more direct access to over 100mn consumers in south-east of country, as it looks to grow its sales in the south-east of the country, and reduce its dependence on Shanghai Lingang Port as the sole point of entry for charter vessels.
As Asiafruit reported in August 2024, the company has embarked on an ambitious project to develop its supply chain operations in China.
According to the company, it will spend around NZ$35mn (US$20.8mn) to build a new coldstorage centre in Taizhou, around 400km south of Shanghai, where it established a similar, smaller facility during the pandemic when Shanghai was locked down.
Members of Sinotrans PFS Cold Chain Logistics, Zespri’s main port logistics partner in China, and Taizhou government officials discussed the expansion project on a recent visit to Tauranga in New Zealand, where they also signed an agreement to push ahead with the new facility.
“Taizhou played a crucial role for us during the Covid-19 lockdown in Shanghai in 2022 when we couldn’t unload there, with all 15 charters that season unloaded in Taizhou instead,” said Zespri’s head of supply chain for Greater China, Rahul Bagde.
“Since then, we saw four charters unloaded in the 2023 season and five this year. There’s also potential for further increases in the annual number of charters to this port.”
The new centre is expected to feature improved quality inspection, storage and pre-cooling facilities, and will apparently allow the company to supply kiwifruit to customers in the provinces of Zhejiang (population 65mn) and Fujian (42mn) without taking it by truck to Shanghai and then back again.
