France-based Sofruileg presented at Fruit Logistica a new brand of kiwiberry, dubbed Nergi, for which the company is the master licensor.
The fruit is no larger than a cherry tomato and can be eaten in its entirety, skin and all.
Traditionally, according to François Lafitte, kiwiberries do not store well and quickly lose their firmness, but thanks to the work of New Zealand-based Plant & Food Research, he said, the Nergi kiwiberry stands out from the rest, boasting a good shelf-life and good firmness.
The kiwiberry, which will be distributed by Prim’land of France and Fruit World of the Netherlands, is currently produced in Europe in small volumes, but the total production area is expected to reach 500ha by 2016, with plans to increase the availability further through production in New Zealand and possibly Chile.
The majority is currently cultivated in France, with other production areas in Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy and Austria.
This season, Sofruileg expects to commercialise around 200,000 punnets on the European market. In 10 years, according to Lafitte, the target is to sell some 10,000 tonnes.
A consumer-focused website has been set up to offer information and recipes, while a programme of in-store tastings is also in the pipeline.
