Trucco in its third season with 'Southern Kiwi' brand
Trucco in its third season with 'Southern Kiwi' brand
HAMMONTON, NJ - The season's first "Southern Kiwi" are in the distribution pipeline.
Nick Pacia, owner of A.J. Trucco Inc. in New York, met The Produce News at the Hammonton, NJ, warehouse of Lucca Freezer & Cold Storage Inc. to show this reporter the kiwifruit, which arrived break bulk May 15 at the port of Wilmington in Delaware.
"It's beautiful," Mr. Pacia said of the product. The fruit had "plenty of size," which was mostly in the 30- to 33-size range. "The size profile is very good; much larger than last year. The sugars are beautiful."
This crop, he said, "is ideal for promotion at retail. It is the perfect combination of size, quality and demand."
Chilean kiwifruit was still in the market in late May -- and would be for a few weeks -- as was the case a year ago. From Lucca Cold Storage on May 20, the f.o.b. price for "Southern Kiwi" was $18 for size 33. The market was $19 for size 27 and $16 to $17 for 36s.
The kiwifruit was being distributed from Florida to New England and into the Midwest.
The first orders from May 15 were already being followed by repeat orders on May 20. The shipping season for "Southern Kiwi" will run into early September, with the peak volumes around late July.
The second ship bearing the fruit was due to arrive into Philadelphia's Packer Avenue Marine Terminal in the first week of June. "Then there will be arrivals every week after that" into Packer Avenue, said Mr. Pacia, who prefers containerized shipments to break bulk because the cold chain is not broken in the distribution process.
Mr. Pacia said that this is Trucco's third season as the exclusive marketer of the "Southern Kiwi" brand, which has grown to become the second-largest New Zealand kiwifruit label in the country after "Zespri."
In its first season, "Southern Kiwi" exported 50,000 cases to Trucco. This year, Mr. Pacia expects that number to balloon to 350,000 tray-equivalents, which would be double the 2007 volume.
The fruit is packed in traditional 10-kilo (about 22 pounds) volume cartons. This year for the first time, organic "Southern Kiwi" will be received.
Mr. Pacia said that a "small volume of a few thousand cases" of organic kiwi would come into the United States. "Hopefully we'll increase volume the next season."
Nick Pacia, owner of A.J. Trucco Inc. in New York, met The Produce News at the Hammonton, NJ, warehouse of Lucca Freezer & Cold Storage Inc. to show this reporter the kiwifruit, which arrived break bulk May 15 at the port of Wilmington in Delaware.
"It's beautiful," Mr. Pacia said of the product. The fruit had "plenty of size," which was mostly in the 30- to 33-size range. "The size profile is very good; much larger than last year. The sugars are beautiful."
This crop, he said, "is ideal for promotion at retail. It is the perfect combination of size, quality and demand."
Chilean kiwifruit was still in the market in late May -- and would be for a few weeks -- as was the case a year ago. From Lucca Cold Storage on May 20, the f.o.b. price for "Southern Kiwi" was $18 for size 33. The market was $19 for size 27 and $16 to $17 for 36s.
The kiwifruit was being distributed from Florida to New England and into the Midwest.
The first orders from May 15 were already being followed by repeat orders on May 20. The shipping season for "Southern Kiwi" will run into early September, with the peak volumes around late July.
The second ship bearing the fruit was due to arrive into Philadelphia's Packer Avenue Marine Terminal in the first week of June. "Then there will be arrivals every week after that" into Packer Avenue, said Mr. Pacia, who prefers containerized shipments to break bulk because the cold chain is not broken in the distribution process.
Mr. Pacia said that this is Trucco's third season as the exclusive marketer of the "Southern Kiwi" brand, which has grown to become the second-largest New Zealand kiwifruit label in the country after "Zespri."
In its first season, "Southern Kiwi" exported 50,000 cases to Trucco. This year, Mr. Pacia expects that number to balloon to 350,000 tray-equivalents, which would be double the 2007 volume.
The fruit is packed in traditional 10-kilo (about 22 pounds) volume cartons. This year for the first time, organic "Southern Kiwi" will be received.
Mr. Pacia said that a "small volume of a few thousand cases" of organic kiwi would come into the United States. "Hopefully we'll increase volume the next season."
