Asia Fruit Awards: winners announced

Major banana marketer Dole China, Thai importer-distributor City Fresh Fruit, multi-format food retailer Central Retail Vietnam, and leading seed company Rijk Zwaan have won the prestigious Asia Fruit Awards 2025..

The annual pan-Asian awards are presented by Asia Fruit Logistica and Asiafruit Magazine to celebrate excellence and recognise outstanding achievement in Asia’s fresh produce business, with the winners selecte­­d by the two organisations.

The winners were announced during a presentation ceremony today at Asia Fruit Logistica, Asia’s premier fresh produce trade show, which is taking place at AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong on 3-5 September 2025.

The Asia Fruit Awards are given in four categories, ‘Marketing Campaign of the Year’, ‘Importer of the Year’, ‘Produce Retailer of the Year’, and the ‘Impact Award’, which recognises significant contribution to developing Asia’s fresh produce business.

MARKETING CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR: DOLE CHINA

Dole China scooped the Marketing Campaign of the Year Award for its milestone Dole Banana 125^th Anniversary campaign.

Partnering with Minions, McDonald’s and major sporting events, the large-scale campaign promoted its core message ‘Choose Dole for Great Bananas’. 

Dole executed a four-pronged strategy – cross-industry collaboration linking with global IP brands, retail integration, consumption-scenario innovation and sports marketing.

In June 2024, Dole partnered with Universal’s Despicable Me 4 movie, and launched the co-branded Dole Sweetio Banana, featuring limited-edition Minions packaging. The promotions also gained the support of leading retailers such as Ole’ and Aeon, with themed POS marketing and prize draws to exclusive Despicable Me 4 movie screenings.

In July, Dole China joined forces with McDonald’s and launched Dole Sweetio Banana McFlurry on McDonald’s’ menu in China across 8,000-plus outlets with integrated campaigns.

Throughout the year, leveraging the high Vitamin B6 and potassium content of Dole Sweetio Bananas, Dole China sponsored 20-plus national and international sporting events such as the Wuxi Marathon, Shanghai Half Marathon, and Shanghai Super Cup. It positioned Dole bananas as the optimal energy-boosting solution for millions of fitness enthusiasts.

Announcing the winner, Asiafruit Magazine editor John Hey said the high-profile campaign had significantly boosted Dole’s brand recognition in China. Its partnerships with global IP brands generated a massive online following, helping to establish Dole Sweetio Banana as a viral trend. The campaign also injected fresh impetus into the banana category in China, diversifying consumption occasions and driving the sector towards premiumisation.

Leo Li, national sales director of Dole China, accepted the award.

“Since 1851, Dole has built trust across the world as a fruit innovator,” said Li. “This award honours the tireless growers on our own farms worldwide, and our team’s excellence in strategic partnerships, channel integration, and consumer-centric innovation.”

IMPORTER OF THE YEAR: CITY FRESH FRUIT

Leading Thai fruit importer-distributor City Fresh Fruit won the Importer of the Year Award.

The family-owned company, founded in 1989, was singled out for its professionalism and progressive approach to developing the fruit import business.

Rather than simply trading fruit, City Fresh has a strong focus on the consumer, Hey noted. It has embraced digital transformation through active promotion and direct-to-consumer sales via online and social media channels. This includes the development of innovative pre-packed offerings tailored for online buyers.

City Fresh has also introduced its City Fresh Fruit Community experiential concept stores – unique retail spaces that combine a fruit shop, café and restaurant to create an immersive ‘fruit experience’. The stores serve as a platform to host tasting events, boost awareness of new and seasonal fruits, and create excitement about products online.

Such initiatives are helping to grow consumer demand amid challenging economic conditions in Thailand that have affected sales in traditional wholesale channels.

City Fresh serves a range of channels in Thailand, including the modern retail trade, traditional wholesale trade, and the Horeca sector, as well as supplying neighbouring countries. In modern retail, City Fresh has established its position as a trusted partner to major chains, and it manages in-store fresh produce departments across multiple locations with a dedicated trade marketing team and in-store promoters.

The importer was also recognised for its strong relationships with global suppliers, which have made it a key distribution partner for leading brands such as Driscoll’s, Zespri, Pink Lady, Dole and OZblu.

Wongsakorn ‘Bill’ Chatamornwong, deputy CEO of City Fresh Fruit, accepted the award.

“Over the past five years, we’ve invested a lot of effort into evolving the business,” said Chatamornwong. “This recognition from Asia Fruit Logistica and Asiafruit Magazine is a great honour, and it will motivate us to continue on that path.”

PRODUCE RETAILER OF THE YEAR: CENTRAL RETAIL VIETNAM

The Produce Retailer of the Year Award went to Central Retail Vietnam, the leading foreign-owned multi-format retailer in Vietnam.

Central Retail Vietnam operates 89 food retail stores across the country, including hypermarkets (GO! and Big C), urban supermarkets (Tops Market) and semi-rural and rural supermarkets and hypermarkets under the mini go! and Lan Chi Mart banners

Central Retail was recognised for its strength and scale in fresh produce sourcing and procurement. It has been a pioneer in developing direct sourcing of imported fruits in Vietnam and building international partnerships, Hey noted.

The retailer has also forged strong sourcing programmes for domestically grown fruits, working closely with local farmer organisations, cooperatives and government associations to promote local produce. Its annual tropical fruit festival – featuring lychees, durians, mangosteens and mangoes among other products – has become a flagship event. The festival links to the cultural tradition of presenting baskets of ripe fruit during the Mid-Lunar New Year.

Central Retail caters to a wide range of consumers in Vietnam with its extensive fresh produce offering. While its high-end Tops Market stores target expatriates and affluent consumers with a high proportion of imported produce, the retailer’s range of store formats service middle income shoppers and give them the opportunity to try new products and upgrade to higher value lines. This is an important driver of consumer demand in Vietnam, Hey noted, given the aspirational market dynamic.

“Central Retail is helping to bridge the gap between grower and consumer, and delivering value for both,” he said. “This has been enabled by a collaborative, partnership approach with suppliers.”

Pham Dieu Linh, Central Retail Vietnam’s fresh international sourcing commercial manager, collected the award.

“At Central Retail Vietnam, fresh produce is at the heart of how we serve our customers every day,” said Nguyen Thi Bich Van, Central Retail Vietnam’s head of PR and communications.

“At Central Retail Vietnam, fresh produce is at the heart of how we serve our customers every day,” she said. “Receiving the Asia Fruit Award for Produce Retailer of the Year is a proud milestone that reflects our dedication to making premium, safe, and diverse fresh produce accessible to millions of shoppers across the country, and to connecting our market with top-quality supply from around the world.”

IMPACT AWARD: RIJK ZWAAN

Leading seed breeder Rijk Zwaan was presented with the Impact Award for its investments in Asia to develop tailored products and solutions that benefit the fresh produce supply chain and wider agricultural communities.

Rijk Zwaan has demonstrated a commitment to developing genetics suited to local climatic conditions in the markets that require them most, such as Vietnam, China and India, Hey noted.

Last September, it opened an R&D station in Dalat, Vietnam, to accelerate the development of varieties suited to growers in South-East Asia and the region’s fresh produce market. The facility also aims to move horticulture practices towards protected cultivation, and from low-tech to high-tech production, to benefit local growers and supply chain partners.

In China, Rijk Zwaan has succeeded in developing red tomatoes as a year-round offering where the market traditionally focused on pink tomatoes. The shift was enabled by varieties that can withstand the cold winter months in Shandong Province. It has also developed year-round stable supply of cucumber, eggplant and hot peppers.

More recently, Rijk Zwaan has moved into the Japan and Korea markets, leading the way among international seed breeders. It has constructed a high-tech greenhouse facility in Japan, focused on tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber and peppers, with a dedicated section for R&D and demonstrations.

Beyond genetics and R&D, Rijk Zwaan was recognised for its in-market customer support, from organising field days and educational programmes to creating technological solutions for local producers such as greenhouse construction.

The company was also singled out for its consumer-centric approach, working with suppliers and partners to introduce novel products and eating experiences. For instance, it partnered with Dole China to introduce Sweet Palermo peppers to the China market, worked with AquaGreen in Hong Kong to develop unique hydroponic-grown products tailored to local growing conditions, and introduced Sitthipong Japanese melons to supply premium melons for Thailand’s high-end retailers.

Jan Doldersum, Rijk Zwaan’s manager chain and retail, accepted the award.

“We are very proud and honoured to receive the Asia Fruit Impact Award,” he said. “Creating impact is in the end what matters for the long term. Impact for local farmers to improve their crop and cultivation by providing better genetics and sharing know-how. Impact for communities and society for a better living standard. Impactful consumer behavioural change for more healthy-living and realising impact for the planet by providing sustainable solutions.”

The four winners of the Asia Fruit Awards were presented with their trophies and certificates by David Axiotis, managing director of Asia Fruit Logistica organiser Global Produce Events, and Chris White, managing director of Fruitnet Media International, which publishes Asiafruit Magazine.

“We heartily congratulate our fantastic Asia Fruit Award winners,” said Axiotis. “All four winners are to be commended on their remarkable achievements and pioneering efforts.”