Consortium reflects on positive first commercial campaign and announces first plantings will soon be underway in Chile
One year after the launch of its new KiKoKá yellow kiwifruit project in Fruit Attraction, Rivoira Group, the company behind the brand, held an event to celebrate its first commercial campaign and introduce the trade to its new management team: president Andrea Peviani and CEO Fabio Zanesco.
This past year, Rivoira – which holds the worldwide master license to the brand – has founded the European KiKoKá Consortium with its 11 European partners, APO Scaligera, Clementi, Innatis, Kiwi Uno, OP Armonia, Peviani, RK Hellas, Savajols, Surexport, Zeolifruit and Zeus Kiwi.
“The shareholders, that make up this consortium, are major players in the European produce business, to which we have to add two more leading grower groups, Arta Gold and Agrihold,” the consortium’s president, Peviani said.
Together, the consortium’s members have production spread over four European countries, with a total managed surface of different fruit categories exceeding 8,000ha and more than 1,500 workers. They hold production rights for 1,150 in Italy, 400ha in Greece, 300ha in France and 200ha in Spain.
Fabio Zanesco said 2,000 tonnes of the fruit would be available in 2024, climbing to around 8,000 in 2025 and 15,000 tonnes by 2026. He commented: “Our vision and values advocate for the increase and promotion of the production and consumption of KiKoKá, while supporting the creation of value for all stakeholders, from consumers back to producers.
“The KiKoKá project grants a longer season of local European production for yellow kiwifruit, allowing consumers to keep tasting this fantastic fruit during spring. There is clearly a lot to do to make these great kiwifruit shine as it deserves to. I am sure that European consumers will greatly benefit from the joint work of the companies that I am proud to represent. The growth in consumption of yellow kiwifruit is a fact, and I believe KiKoKá increases the attractiveness of this exciting category and will soon be a first-class player in the market.”
Outlining the consortium’s plans for the future development of the project, global project manager Gerhard Dichgans said: “We now have a strong base in Europe, but our perspective is worldwide. Thanks to the foresight and proactive commitment of the variety owner, the University of Udine (Italy) and our partner NKP-New Kiwi Plant, we are completing the quarantine process and PVR protection in several countries in the Southern Hemisphere and – this is the great news of the last months – we are now ready to start the first plantings in Chile.
“Increasing production in both hemispheres will allow the project to reach its true potential: to be available worldwide all year round! Now we have two varieties covering a commercial window of nine months, from October to May, in Europe, to be followed in the future by larger volumes from the Southern Hemisphere.”
In his final conclusions, Marco Rivoira CEO of the Rivoira Group, recalled that “we do not have to forget a key asset of this project: the two kiwifruit varieties are resilient to Kiwifruit Vine Decline Syndrome (KVDS) and PSA, as our test plantings have shown, and provide an agronomic answer to two of the biggest challenges facing kiwifruit growers today”.
