Zespri approves red-fleshed kiwifruir commercialisation in Italy

Zespri has announced it will commence commercial production of red-fleshed kiwifruit in Italy following a number of pre-commercial trials.

The Zespri board approved the commercialisation of 170ha of Red19  – marketed out of New Zealand as RubyRed – kiwifruit plantings in Italy between 2026 and 2028. This was enabled by existing approval to plant up to 1,000ha of new variety offshore as approved by growers via producer vote in 2019.

This is the first time Zespri has used the allocation and chief executive Jason Te Brake said it would support efforts to strengthen the Zespri brand through the availability of a red variety in Europe as part of Zespri’s 12 month supply strategy.

“It’s an exciting time for Zespri RubyRed kiwifruit, with nearly all of our 3mn trays of New Zealand-grown fruit now packed, with its berry-like taste available in a number of new markets this season, including the US,” said Te Brake.

“Growing RubyRed kiwifruit in Italy will support efforts to deliver on Zespri’s 12 month supply strategy, help us build our brand and maintain shelf space and retail partnerships to support New Zealand grower returns, particularly given the increasingly competitive red category.”

The approval came as Zespri released its first guidance to growers for the 2025/26 season outlining strong OGR per tray and per hectare ranges.

The kiwifruit marketer releases preliminary forecast guidance when early season fruit is still arriving in market, with this refined as more information becomes available throughout the season on fruit and market performance. 

Te Brake said positive early season conditions had supported a strong start to this season’s harvest with a total crop of more than 205mn trays, or 738,000 tonnes, now expected.

“Our industry has packed more fruit at this time of the season than ever before and our first charter vessels have departed successfully, which is important as we look to get off to a fast start and return strong value back to our growers,” said Te Brake.

“Our initial guidance also anticipates improvements in our fruit size and foreign exchange positions this season, with downside risks considered including provision for quality costs should fruit quality deteriorate, softer market conditions and reduced trade stemming from ongoing global geopolitical uncertainty,” he added.

“The feedback we’ve received from customers across Europe, China and North America over recent weeks is that there’s strong demand for Zespri kiwifruit, and our teams are looking forward to selling this season’s fruit as more arrives in market in the coming weeks.

This story was amended on Thursday 20 March to reflect the fact that Red19 kiwifruit grown in Italy will not definitely be marketed under the Zespri RubyRed brand. Fruitnet understands a decision on what to call the product will be taken at a later stage.