First export shipments due to depart Napier Port for Japan, the UK, France and Italy mid-March
Harvest is underway for T&G Global’s Jazz branded apples, marking the beginning of a strong season for the marketer’s premium global apple brands and commercial varieties.
Shane Kingston, T&G’s chief operating officer apples, highlighted the quality of the crop citing favourable conditions and the hard work of growers.
“With ideal spring weather across Aotearoa New Zealand, it’s provided optimal growing conditions. This, together with our growers’ great work, has resulted in excellent tasting fruit with good colour and sizing,” Kingston said. “In fact, it’s been one of our best growing seasons in many years. Our Jazz branded apples have built a great reputation for their distinctive tangy-sweet flavour and refreshing taste profile, and this year’s crop will not disappoint.”
T&G’s New Zealand apple harvest began in February with early varieties and brands, including Poppi and Royal Gala, before moving onto Jazz branded apples the second week of March. Envy branded apples will begin to be harvested in Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay imminently.
The first shipments of Jazz apples from New Zealand are due to depart Napier Port this week, bound for key international markets including Japan, the UK, France and Italy.
“Jazz branded apples are sold in over 50 countries, and in 2024/25, sales of our premium European crop have been very strong, allowing us to maintain strong demand and pricing throughout the season across the UK, Europe and key Asian markets,” Kingston noted. “This positions us well to seamlessly transition to Aotearoa New Zealand-grown apples in the coming weeks, to ensure consumers can enjoy the much-loved brand year-round.”
According to T&G, generations of New Zealanders have grown up with Jazz branded apples but it might not be so well known that they are as equally loved around the world.
“Since T&G started exporting Jazz branded apples to Japan in 2011, they’ve become a firm favourite amongst Japanese consumers,” Kingston said. “Jazz is the number one imported apple and in 2024, we saw a 29 per cent increase in sales volumes. Japan’s market access rules are extremely stringent to protect the local industry, and our growers do a fantastic job growing high-quality premium fruit for Japan and all other markets.”
The variety is also extremely popular in the UK.
“In the UK, Jazz is among the top four most popular apples, with a record 1.2mn tray carton equivalents (TCEs) – or nearly 150mn pieces of fruit – sold in 2024,” Kingston explained. “Grown locally, as well as in Europe, Aotearoa New Zealand and a number of other countries, we have ambitious growth plans to grow the brand further in the UK, with more shoppers and households enjoying Jazz more often.”
