Zespri's gold kiwifruit variety SunGold has seen solid sales this year as consumers in key global markets continue to react positively to the newly commercialised variety.
That was the verdict of Zespri's president of sales and marketing Dan Mathieson when he addressed growers in New Zealand recently, pointing to a growing level of confidence that customers have in the SunGold – or Gold3 – variety.
'We've had an overall positive response to this juicy new variety and its refreshing sweet/sour taste balance in Japan, the rest of Asia, Europe and North America,' said Mathieson. 'With an increased volume, we're now able to transition from Hort16A to SunGold in more key markets and sales are going well.'
The majority of sales were made in Japan, with large allocations also heading to Asian markets such as Korea and China, the group noted.
Looking ahead, volumes are expected to reach 50m trays by 2018, with Zespri pushing promotions for SunGold in Asia, Europe and other developing markets.
However, in the short term, volumes have actually fallen in 2013 due to the changeover from Gold to SunGold and the effects of the deadly Psa disease in New Zealand.
“Work is ongoing to educate Zespri’s customers – our distributors, wholesalers and retailers – and the consumers who buy Zespri Kiwifruit about this great new gold variety,' Mathieson continued. 'Zespri SunGold has a different shape and taste profile to our original Zespri Gold and customers are recognising that this is a another quality product from Zespri.
“We’ve had a favourable response to date and the conversations with our customers and consumers are ongoing to gain full acceptance of this exciting new variety. We’re working hard to ensure consistency of taste across grower lines for next season.'
He noted that new products were always a challenge, but confirmed Zespri had confidence in the market appeal and supply chain performance of SunGold.
“We’re continuing our unrelenting focus on high taste and premium quality to ensure SunGold – like all Zespri Kiwifruit – stands out in the marketplace as a premium product and continues to bring in top returns for Zespri growers,' Mathieson added.
