Latest news with #kiwifruit
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Zespri targets doubling of sales in China
New Zealand-based kiwifruit marketer Zespri has signed MoUs with distributors and retailers in China in a bid to double its sales in the market over the next decade. In a statement, Zespri said the agreements were signed with its two largest distributors in China, Joy Wing Mau and Goodfarmer, as well as fruit retailers Pagoda and Xianfeng Fruit. According to Zespri, these four companies collectively account for approximately 80% of its business in China. Zespri CEO Jason Te Brake said annual sales from Greater China exceed NZ$1.4bn ($840m). 'We expect China to remain a strong market for us,' Te Brake said, adding the agreements 'will help increase both sales and the number of cities where Zespri Kiwifruit is available'. The MoUs set a joint goal to expand Zespri's market reach from 60 to 120 cities by the 2033/34 season. In the last season, Zespri exported more than 1.5 billion pieces of fruit to China. Te Brake, who took the role last May, said: 'This season we are on track to grow our volume in China by more than 8%, and with sales set to double over the next ten years, we are pleased to be right behind New Zealand's ambition to double the value of the country's exports.' He added, Zespri, which is majority owned by its fruit growers, is 'committed to continuing to invest and grow in the China' and 'delivering strong value back to our growers'. In 2024, 91% of Zespri's growers voted in favour of expanding the company's operations beyond New Zealand. The agreements coincide with Zespri's forecast for another record crop year. In the 2024/25 season, the company sold a record 220.9 million trays, up from 164.2 million trays in 2023/24. For the 2025/26 season, Zespri forecasts a total crop exceeding 205 million trays, equivalent to 738,000t. This season, Zespri has already shipped over 110 million trays of kiwifruit, constituting more than half of the total crop. The company's corporate net profit after tax, including licence revenue, is projected to be between NZ$248m and NZ$258m, up from NZ$155.2m last year. In 2024, Zespri's global operating revenue was NZ$5.14bn "Zespri targets doubling of sales in China" was originally created and published by Just Food, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Japan Times
06-06-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
'Moving forward': the Gen Z farmer growing Fukushima kiwifruits
A short drive from the Fukushima nuclear disaster site, novice farmer Takuya Haraguchi tends to his young kiwifruit vines under the spring sunshine, bringing life back to a former no-go zone. Haraguchi was 11 years old when Japan's strongest earthquake on record struck in March 2011, unleashing a tsunami that left 18,500 people dead or missing. The wall of water crashed into the Fukushima nuclear plant on the northeast coast, causing a devastating meltdown. At the time, the bookish young Haraguchi, who grew up far away in Osaka, feared that radiation would make the whole country uninhabitable. But now, age 25, the new resident of the rural town of Okuma said he believes in the future of the Fukushima region. "Everyone knows about the nuclear accident. But not many people know about this area, and how it's moving forward," said Haraguchi, tanned from working on his farm. "By growing kiwis here, I want people to take an interest in and learn about what Fukushima is really like these days." The region of Fukushima is renowned for its delicious fruit, from pears to peaches, but the nuclear disaster led many people in Japan to shun produce grown there. Just over 14 years later, following extensive decontamination work including stripping an entire layer of soil from farmland, authorities say food from Fukushima is safe, having been rigorously screened for radiation. Last year, Fukushima peaches were sold at London's Harrods department store, while in Japan, some consumers now choose to buy the region's produce to support struggling farmers. "The safety has been proven," said Haraguchi, who often sports a kiwifruit-print bucket hat. "I think it's important that we do it here." Starting from 'zero' Haraguchi studied software engineering at university but dreamed of becoming a fruit farmer. He first visited Okuma in 2021 for an event targeted at students and met residents trying to bring back kiwifruit farming in an effort to rebuild their community. He also met a veteran farmer, who moved away after the disaster and whose kiwifruits' rich flavor left him stunned. Inspired, Haraguchi returned many times for research before starting his venture, called ReFruits, with a business partner who recently graduated from a university in Tokyo. They manage 2.5 hectares of land and hope to harvest their first kiwifruits next year. Haraguchi regards the destruction seen by the Fukushima region not as a blight, but an opportunity. "Because it went to zero once, we can try and test all sorts of challenging new ideas," he said. After the disaster, nuclear fallout forced all of Okuma's 11,000 residents to flee their homes. A banner with a kiwifruit image stands in a field managed by ReFruits in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, on April 24. | AFP-jiji Overall across the Fukushima region, around 80,000 people were ordered to evacuate for their safety, while the same number again left voluntarily, authorities say. Since then, the stricken plant's reactors have been stabilized, although decommissioning work is expected to take decades. Sections of Okuma, previously a no-go zone, were declared safe for residents to start to return in 2019. Only a fraction of its previous population has come back — but young outsiders like Haraguchi are moving there, taking advantage of government subsidies for things like housing and business assistance. Now, of around 1,500 people living in Okuma, more than 1,000 are newcomers, including hundreds who work on the plant but also in agriculture and even tech start-ups. Radiation tests Today, dozens of sensors monitor radiation levels in Okuma, which are within officially set safety limits, but still higher than in areas far from the nuclear plant. Some parts, such as unused hillsides, remain off-limits. On Haraguchi's farm, soil tests show a slightly elevated level of radiation that meets an internationally accepted food standard. Tests on fruit from Fukushima have also shown that the radiation levels are low enough for consumption, the government said. Kaori Suzuki, who leads the nonprofit citizen science group "Mothers' Radiation Lab Fukushima — Tarachine," warns, however, that risks could remain now and in the future. Among other activities, her group conducts its own radiation tests on Fukushima's soil and food to help residents who are choosing local products to consume. Although "it's up to individuals to decide what to eat ... it's better to be cautious, because people have become more relaxed," she said. Haraguchi, who is traveling internationally to share his story and that of the region, hopes his work could eventually ease concerns about Fukushima's fruit. "We don't need to force our products on people who are uneasy about this place and its crops," he said, adding that he was committed to transparency. "We need to sell our products to people who understand."
RNZ News
25-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
The business turning kiwifruit into a leather alternative
KiwiLeather Innovations is turning 50,000 tonnes of kiwifruit waste into a leather alternative. Photo: Supplied A new leather alternative aims to find news uses for the over 50,000 tonnes of kiwifruit that is rejected in New Zealand each year. Shelley Houston founded KiwiLeather Innovations four years ago. Then based in Papamoa, her son had been bringing home an abundance of waste or rejected kiwifruit from his work at one of the orchards. She was surprised to learn just how much kiwifruit waste there was - much of this is used by farmers to help feed stock. "I used to be quite a keen baker, but I found there's only so much baking you can do with kiwifruit." She set about trying to develop new alternatives for the waste byproduct. "I'd seen overseas in Europe that they make a lot of biomaterials and things like that out of mangoes and apples and grapes, so I thought I'd give it a go with kiwifruit. The plant- and bio-based leather alternative can be used for many different products. Photo: Supplied Houston said the resulting prototype had worked better than she thought it would. She's worked with Scion research to perfect the formula and create a more viable product. The kiwifruit leather is plant-based and plastic-free. She said many people had remarked the alternative "smells just like leather". It's durability means it can be used as a leather alternative. Houston said they were targetting the automotive sector, with companies like Tesla using cactus leather, and furniture manufacturers. "There's just not enough product out there, enough bio-materials for these companies to be able to create that sort of thing." Houston has partnered with a number of packhouses who provided her with kiwifruit they can't use. She said it was good to give growers more value while repurposing the byproduct. Houston said people could expect to see prototype products released over the next few months. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
22-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Kiwifruit giant Zespri posts $155m profit, while corporate profit soars
Zespri's net corporate profit after tax, excluding revenue from licences, hit a record $79.8 million. Photo: Zespri Orchard gate returns have dipped across most kiwifruit varieties per tray in the 2024/2025 fruit season, off records last year, while marketing giant Zespri's corporate profits hit a record. The kiwifruit marketer has reported an after-tax profit of $155.2 million for the financial year, down 10 percent on last year to $173.3m. Meanwhile, the company's net corporate profit after tax, excluding revenue from licences, hit a record $79.8m, up 291 percent from $20.4m on the year prior. Zespri released fewer licences that growers required to plant the trademarked fruit, which ate into its profits through the season. For the country's 2800 kiwifruit growers, orchard gate returns were all down, except for Organic SunGold that was at a record $15.20 a tray, up 3 percent on last year's $14.71 per tray. The biggest annual drop was seen for Green down 12 percent off last year's record, to $8.36 per tray, followed by RubyRed down nearly 10 percent to $17 a tray. Zespri chief executive Jason Te Brake said strong sales were reflected in good demand from European Union markets. Photo: Supplied / Dscribe Media Chief executive Jason Te Brake said it dropped its planting licences down to 250 hectares from 400ha, in response to supply chain constraints and challenging global market conditions. "We increased our profit on being able to sell fruit, the underlying part of the business, for New Zealand supply and also for our Northern hemisphere fruit," he said. "But it was offset by a decrease of how much license we released last year, so we released a lower volume of licence which meant that we had a drop in profit." He said the drop came after a "good run" of high levels of licences, and was set to return to 400ha the following year. "We decided just to step back slightly as we went through some more tricky situations on the New Zealand front with some of the weather impacts and also some of the supply chain constraints that we'd seen." Orchard gate returns for Organic SunGold were at a record $15.20 a tray, up 3 percent on last year's $14.71 per tray. Photo: Zespri Meanwhile, he said strong sales were reflected in good demand from European Union markets like Germany, France and Spain, and North American market too, offset by lowered confidence in Asian markets. "We've increased both volume and value in our key markets despite downward pressure in the category and surpassed a significant milestone in reaching $5 billion in global fruit sales, exceeding our longstanding sales goal set a decade ago," he said. "We're returning really strong value to our growers, with our highest ever recorded direct returns to the New Zealand industry, breaking the $3 billion threshold in 2024/25." He said it would be good for growers to see the positive financial results. "[Growers] have invested heavily in the brand and our supply chain for the last decade, but also had some pretty challenging seasons in recent memory as well." Te Brake said for this season, 2025/26, it had been an exceptional harvest, and it was 20 percent through its sales programme with plenty more work to do. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
