Boost in volume to 18,000 tonnes this season expands export opportunities for the global marketer
New Zealand kiwifruit marketer, Zespri has said it will send 5mn trays, or 18,000 tonnes, of its RubyRed kiwifruit to 16 markets this season.
According to a release, the increased volume, up from 3mn trays last year, is thanks to more orchards producing commercial volumes of the fruit. The boost in production will see consumers in Australia, Vietnam and Canada enjoy Zespri’s RubyRed kiwifruit for the first time.
CEO Jason Te Brake said the red kiwifruit continues to prove popular with consumers and plays an important role in starting Zespri’s sales season with strong momentum.
“RubyRed kiwifruit is the first of our kiwifruit harvested each season, helping create excitement and secure early shelf space ahead of our SunGold and Green kiwifruit – something we saw last season with strong sales and positive feedback from our markets,” Te Brake said.
“Building on last year’s successful introduction of RubyRed in the US and strong volume growth in North America over recent seasons, we’re now able to expand beyond the Western States and into Canada.”
RubyRed volume to the US will triple this year, according to Zespri, with retail sales expected to get underway in mid-April. There will also be increased volumes in Zespri’s core markets of China and Japan, and sales programmes are already underway in China. Zespri RubyRed kiwifruit is also now available on shelves in New Zealand.
Te Brake said it had been encouraging to see RubyRed sales programmes start well with demand in China particularly strong.
“Our first 25,000 trays of RubyRed in Shanghai largely sold out to key distributors and retailers, supported by our greater use of e-commerce platforms such as Douyin – the local version of TikTok – with around four days’ worth of sales from traditional channels completed in approximately four hours,” he said.
“RubyRed’s shorter shelf life means it’s typically available for around eight weeks, with consumers loving its bright red colour and sweet, berry-like taste. It contains a number of antioxidants such as anthocyanins – naturally occurring pigments that give the fruit its red colour – and is a good source of folate, potassium and Vitamin C and E.”
He added that RubyRed is also helping attract new and younger consumers to the kiwifruit category, as well as the wider fruit category.
To support the growth of RubyRed, in late 2025 Zespri commercialised an additional red variety, Red80, to extend the commercial selling season. Red80 is harvested slightly later than Zespri’s existing Red19 cultivar and has a longer storage life, with the two varieties working together under the Zespri RubyRed trademark to extend availability, build awareness and lift demand.
A total of100ha of Red80 licence will be made available to growers in May 2026 and is expected to reach commercial volumes in 2028, helping to meet the strong global demand for RubyRed kiwifruit.
