The first season volume of Chilean Summerkiwi, a naturally early-harvested, deep green kiwifruit, is now available on the North American market from The Oppenheimer Group.
“Summerkiwi aligns with Oppenheimer’s commitment to marketing kiwifruit that delivers a consistently greateating experience,” said Steve Woodyear-Smith, kiwifruit category director for the Vancouver, BC-based international produce marketer and distributor.
“The fruit is unique because its brix can reach the high teens, though its flavor is quite sweet from 12.5 on,” he explained. “Summerkiwi’s ripening curve is more like that of a gold kiwifruit than a green. It ripens quickly then maintains good eating quality for several days at room temperature.”
Earlier this month it was reported that Oppenheimer had established a marketing arrangement with the Summerkiwi Corporation to market and distribute early-ripening variety.
For the next six weeks, Oppenheimer is offering Summerkiwi in a full range of sizes, labelled with GS1 barcodes and sold in 9kg volume fill packs and trays.
To support the offer, Oppenheimer is engaging North American retailers and consumers with the key message that Summerkiwi is “sweet to the core” through advertisements, demonstrations, public relations activity and social media outreach.
“It has a softer center than most green kiwifruit – some call its core a tender heart – making it a juicy, refreshing snack that is easy to spoon out and enjoy, “ Mr Woodyear-Smith added. “Sweet and easy to manage, Summerkiwi is a great choice for kids.”
Summerkiwi boasts the same high nutrient density as other green kiwifruit, but can be distinguished from others at retail because it is slightly longer and more ovate than a typical green kiwifruit.
In addition, the unique Summerkiwi brand and the playful kiwifruit character on the label will also alert consumers to the fact that the fruit is different.
