Mile-high Kiwi Encounter held for Wild Oats managers and department leaders
Mile-high Kiwi Encounter held for Wild Oats managers and department leaders
DENVER -- Personnel representing Wild Oats stores and Colorado's Front Range gathered in north Denver June 14 for a colorful and educational preview of this year's New Zealand kiwifruit season.
Emceed by Karen Brux, general manager of Zespri's North American operations, the two-hour Kiwi Encounter included presentations by New Zealand growers Brendan and Louise Fox as well as an electronic multi-media show. The Foxes are among more than 2,500 grower members of Zespri Group Ltd., which is represented in the export market by Zespri International Ltd.
Also greeting the retail partners was Karin Gardner, communications manager for The Oppenheimer Group, exclusive North American distributor for Zespri fruit. As kiwifruit promotions were being held in Western states, simultaneous Kiwi Encounters were also being staged in important cities in the East and Midwest.
The luncheon at the Doubletree Hotel Denver North also featured favorite New Zealand dishes such as lamb and New Zealand wines as well as gold and green kiwifruit.
Leading the Wild Oats contingent was Don Harris, vice president of produce and floral. Mr. Harris and several others traveled from the nationwide company's home office in nearby Boulder, CO, for the event.
With more than 100 stores in 23 states and British Columbia, Wild Oats was founded nearly 20 years ago as a single retail outlet in Boulder. Its growth in the past two decades has been well chronicled, with 1999 a banner year that saw the addition of 47 stores.
In 2001, Perry Odak of Ben & Jerry's Homemade moved from the world of ice cream to the natural and organic foods arena, taking on the role of president and CEO of Wild Oats.
While each of the retail representatives at the Kiwi Encounter was well versed in produce matters, kiwifruit specifics provided by Ms. Brux and the Foxes elicited questions and comments. For instance, Mr. Fox explained that there are hundreds of kiwifruit varieties growing in the New Zealand and Asian wilds, and that the gold kiwifruit, which was introduced to North American markets only in the last couple of years, was in development for 20 years prior to its commercial release.
New Zealand's kiwifruit season runs from May through December, with fruit arriving on the U.S. West Coast in late May and on the East Coast in early June. Ms. Brux said that an estimated 60 million trays of green kiwifruit are expected to be moved this season, and gold volume will likely hit between 14 million and 15 million trays.
