Zespri International

We’re absolutely thrilled for our very own Lilah Rosenfeldt who was named Bay of Plenty Young Grower of the Year for 2024 last night!     Zespri is proud to be a Gold sponsor of the competition which saw participants from various horticultural sectors challenged with a number of horticultural related theoretical and practical activities yesterday.      Lilah has been involved in the kiwifruit industry for around seven years – she’s currently one of our Trials Specialists at Zespri, carrying out research and conducting trials on kiwifruit orchards. Before joining us, she was an orchard manager for three years. Congratulations Lilah! We look forward to seeing you represent the Bay of Plenty in the National Young Grower competition. Pictured below is Associate Minister of Agriculture Nicola Grigg with Lilah Rosenfeldt. Horticulture New Zealand

Our new Chief Executive Officer Jason Te Brake has started in the role today 🥝.    Mr Te Brake is a chartered accountant and is moving into the role after being our Chief Operating Officer, leading our global supply chain and response to the quality challenges we faced in 2022. He’s looking forward to getting underway and continuing our focus on delivering a great season. He’s also focused on leading the Zespri team to capture the significant demand opportunities in market, strengthening our supply chain and operational performance to maximise value in market and returning as much of that value back to growers. This means that at the end of last week we farewelled Daniel Mathieson who’s taking up a role at global berry company Driscoll’s in the USA. Dan had been with us for 21 years, almost seven of those as CEO.   Thank you, Dan, from the team at Zespri at the wider kiwifruit industry. We wish you all the best in your next adventure 🍓

We’ve released our latest forecast today which puts us on track to deliver strong returns to growers and reach our goal of $4.5 billion in global sales revenue by 2025. Our June indicative forecast for the 2024/25 season reflects improved yields and the industry’s largest ever crop of 197 million packed trays. Forecast per hectare OGRs have increased from last season, with the mid-point of current ranges above last season’s final per hectare returns for all pools. Green and Organic Green forecast per hectare returns are expected to be at record levels. CEO Daniel Mathieson says while there are some challenges this season, we’re continuing to see strong demand, with the industry’s efforts to deliver consistently high quality fruit supporting strong sales in key markets. Follow the below link to read more:  https://lnkd.in/gzPHUWkg

We’re proud to work with MKGI to take even more Zespri Kiwifruit to Hawaii through the collaborative marketing programme which is supported by Kiwifruit New Zealand (KNZ). Zespri Head of Māori Alliances, Kiriwaitingi Rei-Russell says the MKGI collaborative marketing programme is lifting the brand’s presence in the underdeveloped market. "There’s a lot of excitement at the potential to deliver real value in a market which previously received around 80,000 trays of SunGold and Green a year, helping support an increase in sales from the general pool and deliver benefit for all New Zealand growers.”

We’re proud to support the Zespri AIMS Games, returning to Tauranga Moana 7-13 September 2024 with a staggering 397 schools registered to attend. Roll on September! 

We’ve launched a global campaign to encourage people to eat better to help tackle health challenges and improve lives around the world.    It’s been launched in Japan with our Chairman Nathan Flowerday and President of Asia Pacific Ichiro Anzai, with the support of the Japan Dietetic Association, Tokyo Seika – Japan’s largest fruit and vegetable wholesaler, and alongside New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.      It’s focused on improving global health outcomes by encouraging people to swap out one unhealthy food for a serving of fresh fruit or vegetables every day. The campaign’s been launched in Japan which has some of the lowest consumption of fresh fruit globally and will be rolled out across major Zespri markets 🥝🌍   Follow the below link to read more:  https://lnkd.in/g6Y6WYw6

Thank you to everyone who visited us at Fieldays last week. We had a great time hosting growers at our marquee, meeting industry and government partners, and connecting with everyone who stopped by to taste our Green🥝, Zespri RubyRed, and Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit - it was a blast! Image cred: Dscribe Media Services Fieldays®

Calling all schools in Aotearoa! Registrations for the Zespri Young and Healthy Virtual Adventure are now open until Friday 5th July. We’re proud to support the challenge, which aims to inspire, motivate and educate kids and their whānau to develop healthy behaviours for a lifetime, through habits like drinking more water, eating nutrient-rich food, and swapping out screen time for other activities. Kids (virtually) travel the world using an engaging online interface, along with motivation and encouragement from some of Aotearoa's most respected sporting stars. The programme is free, open to primary and intermediate ages, and runs from 12 August to 16 September. To find out more, or register your class, visit: youngandhealthy.org.nz Young and Healthy 2019 Trust Kim Harvey #zespriyoungandhealthynz, #asicsnz, #youngandhealthynz, #healthykids, #healthymindandbody

We are excited to host Mike Casey from Forest Lodge Cherry Orchard and Rewiring Aotearoa at the Zespri Grower Tent at Fieldays® to share his insights and experience on electrifying the primary sector! Join us tomorrow at 10am to hear from Mike. Check out the video to get a taste of his take on the electrification opportunity.

The vessel Kakariki has successfully arrived at the Port of Tauranga after the first biofuel shipping trial with one of our international shipping partners, Fresh Carriers Co., Ltd (FCC). The charter vessel bunkered the biofuel in Hong Kong before starting its voyage south, arriving at the port at the weekend. The purpose of the trial was to test the performance of the ship’s engines when burning a blend of biofuel made from used cooking oil. Zespri Chief Operating Officer Jason Te Brake says the trial is a collaborative step forward for the industry as it seeks to decarbonise and future proof through innovative solutions such as low emissions shipping.   “With Zespri having limited ability to directly reduce shipping emissions ourselves, we’re working with key shipping and distribution partners like FCC to increase the efficiency of our shipping and logistics, and make the transition to low emissions fuels.”    FCC Director Toshiyuki Koga says FCC is looking forward to further biofuel trials using other FCC vessels and is also considering a northbound trial taking Zespri Kiwifruit to market this season. Follow the below link to read more:  https://lnkd.in/g4CuppVV