Zespri Europe gears up for steady kiwifruit growth in 2025
The fruit marketer expects a 3.9% increase in supply as it moves to start sales earlier in the season.
EUROPE – Zespri Europe has signaled another solid season for kiwifruit sales, with the first shipments of the 2025/26 New Zealand crop already on their way to key European ports.
The company forecasts a 3.9% growth across all varieties this year and is focusing on getting fruit to market earlier to meet demand.
The first vessels carrying New Zealand kiwifruit are expected to dock in Zeebrugge, Tarragona, and Vado by mid-April.
Zespri said harvest conditions back home have been generally good, thanks to a balance of sunshine and rainfall that has supported both fruit size and flavor.
Earlier start for SunGold
Nikki Johnson, acting general manager Europe, confirmed that the SunGold kiwifruit season will begin slightly earlier than usual.
“The SunGold season is expected to start a week earlier, with the first arrival of New Zealand SunGold kiwifruit currently planned for mid-April, and the first green shipments arriving in early May,” she said.
Johnson noted that strong partnerships across the region remain key to their plans. “The Zespri EU team has clear plans and strong partnerships across the European markets to sell our 2025 crop, with a continued focus on returning strong value to our growers, customers, and consumers.”
The shift comes as Zespri moves from European-grown fruit to its New Zealand supply. “We have continued to see strong demand in recent months for fruit grown in Europe, putting us in a strong position as we begin to transition to our New Zealand-grown fruit over the coming weeks,” Johnson said.
Marketing push continues
Zespri will continue running its ‘Choose Healthy, Choose Real – Zespri Zing’ campaign, which includes the return of the KiwiBrothers. The effort aims to encourage people across Europe to build healthier eating habits.
“Our sales and marketing teams in market have been working closely with our partners to ensure another year of strong marketing campaigns, many featuring our iconic KiwiBrothers, and we look forward to rolling these out across the months ahead,” Johnson added.
Beyond media campaigns, the company is boosting in-store promotions. Most kiwifruit purchases in Europe still happen at the shelf, so visibility matters. Zespri’s “Perfect Store Project” is continuing across several European countries to make sure its fruit stands out.
Compostable labels rolling out
This year also marks an important step in Zespri’s packaging approach. The company is switching to fully certified home compostable fruit labels developed with its partner Sinclair.
These labels were approved by three major certification bodies at the end of 2024 after several years of testing.
“We’re really excited to be transitioning to fully certified home compostable fruit labels this year,” Johnson said. “Our Zespri fruit label provides an important assurance to our consumers the fruit they are purchasing is authentic, safe and high-quality Zespri kiwifruit. Our customers are also happy to see the move to fully compostable labels, particularly in Europe where it is mandated in some countries, such as France and Belgium.”
Zespri says it looks forward to a smooth rollout of its New Zealand season and strong cooperation with partners across Europe.
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