After the first loads arrived on April 30, volume of Zespri kiwifruit from New Zealand picked up considerably, said Steve Woodyear-Smith, Oppenheimer category manager for tropicals.

With a background that includes 10 years with Zespri International, Woodyear-Smith oversees pineapple and mango procurement and marketing initiatives in addition to kiwifruit. He told The Produce News in early May that movement had started to “crank up at Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Miami and Vancouver, and we’re seeing good volumes of Green and SunGold and reasonable volumes of organics.”

Woodyear-Smith continued, “The fruit is clean and good-sized with very good eating qualities. And the SunGold is very big this season for us, with sizes increased. Last year was a relaunch of the kiwifruit category, and emphasis has been on the SunGold. We had incredible reception in 2014 for both it and for our organic Green and Gold, and this year our organic SunGold is just starting to hit, giving us our first year of what we call pre-commercial distribution. Next year we’ll see true commercial volume of organic SunGold.”

The kiwifruit marketer said the new variety is an “exceptional eating fruit, and we’ve gotten very positive reaction from both retailers and consumers. The demand from retailers has grown significantly, and both Zespri and Oppy are dedicated to getting this fruit on North American shelves.”

He added, “Volume will start to really hit at the end of May and will continue strong for SunGold through September. Green and organics will be good through November, primarily on the East Coast.”

The fruit is being packed in one-pound bags and clams, he said.

From her Minneapolis office, Michele Hoard, senior marketing manager for Zespri North America, told The Produce News that SunGold is seeing a strong marketing campaign across the country.

“Our campaign will be focused on our new great variety, SunGold, the great taste of all Zespri kiwifruit and its convenience and health properties. We will be running a national campaign with focused customized programs regionally. We will continue programs with key partners as well,” Hoard said, noting that retailers have access to customized POS material throughout the campaign.

One facet of the program will be in-store samplings, which Hoard said are vital to getting the kiwi message to the public.

“We know consumers need to experience the great taste of Zespri kiwifruit,” she said. “We will be sampling all of our varieties and explaining the different types of growing methods for kiwifruit.”

Making good use of social media, Zespri “has a very robust program, and we are active in most social media platforms,” Hoard said. “We were one of the first produce organizations to start in this area of marketing.”

The campaign, which will launch in June and run for several months, is hoping to reach across demographic divides and share the wealth of kiwifruit universally.

“We are looking to have everyone eating Zespri kiwifruit every day for its great taste and health benefits,” Hoard said. “We’re looking forward to a long and successful season.”