European suppliers of kiwiberry brand Nergi are predicting “incredible” projected sales growth as they target new markets in Asia.
Jean-Pierre Caruel of Sofruileg, the French company behind the brand, says Nergi grower-shipper partners in France, Italy and the Netherlands are working hard to increase sales outside Europe by 15 per cent this year.
“At present 95 per cent of our Nergi sales go to Europe, but we are carrying out airfreight trials to Canada and Singapore,” he reveals.“We are focusing on supplying high-end retailers, and so far sales there are a great success.”
Caruel sees great potential for Nergi in Asia in particular because consumers there are already familiar with New Zealand kiwiberry products.
“Hong Kong is a target market,” he says. “We are also working on gaining access to Japan, Taiwan and China, but they aren’t open to French kiwiberry at the moment.
“We are optimistic about the future, especially in China because we already sell our [French] kiwifruit there.”
