Kiwifruit consortium ramps up production and names Alberto Raviolo as its sales director, to lead next phase of commercial growth
Kiwifruit brand Kikokà is on course to more than double its commercial production this season, the group has confirmed.
As revealed in Fruitnet’s recent video interview with CEO Fabio Zanesco, the company is pressing ahead with an ambitious expansion plan.
Its yellow kiwifruit production is estimated at more than 10,000 tonnes in 2026, compared with around 4,400 last year.
Meanwhile, the organisation has appointed a new sales director, Alberto Raviolo, who will manage the next stage of its commercial growth.
That expansion is already underway with the recent start of its new harvests in Europe, ahead of sales beginning in mid-October.
“We are now in our third year of sales and, given the estimated volumes, an organisational step forward is necessary,” Raviolo comments. “Europe continues to be our main target market, where yellow kiwifruit penetration rates still leave considerable room for growth.”
During the first phase of its sales campaign, which the group will approach with its early variety, it will have to contend with a significant volume of product from the Southern Hemisphere.
“However, we are confident that the work carried out in the orchards by growers, supported by our agronomic team, together with the strength and recognition of the brand, will have a positive impact on the market,” says Raviolo.
“At the same time, we will also look at overseas markets, with new commercial trials in the Americas, the Middle East and Asia. Within Europe, Italy, Germany and the Nordic countries remain the main targets, with a strong focus on developing the Italian large-scale retail channel.”
Four sources
Raviolo, who once wrote a thesis on the commercial strategy behind Ambrosia apples, is no stranger to the fruit business or to Rivoira Group, which owns the master licence for Kikokà.
“I have followed the project since the Rivoira Group acquired the master license for the worldwide development of the varieties,” he says.
Kikokà’s yellow kiwifruit production is rooted in four countries – Italy, Greece, France and Spain – and the consortium operates a total of five packing facilities: one for conventionally grown and one for organic in Italy; two in Greece for conventional; and one for conventional in France.
“Kikokà’s commercial focus remains the second half of the season, with plans to allocate significant volumes between February, March and April,” he concludes. “However, the growth in volumes also allows us to work on extending the marketing window, while maintaining constant attention to opportunities that may arise in the first part of the season.”
Continued expansion
Raviolo’s appointment is part of a broader effort to strengthen Kikokà as an organisation. This has seen the consortium establish a commercial back office in Bologna, as well as as making key appointments in administration, technical, and quality departments.
“In recent months, we have strengthened our organisation to manage the project’s growth phase as effectively as possible,” says Fabio Zanesco, CEO of Kikokà. “We have focused on quality-related work, organising growers more efficiently and monitoring the different lots.
We have developed a management matrix that links the fruit’s intrinsic quality with its storability, enabling us to manage the product with increasing precision throughout the sales season.”
He continues: “In addition, we have appointed a tax representative in Greece, enabling us to operate directly in the Greek market and for export. And with increasingly structured processes, we have also decided to begin the process of obtaining IFS Broker certification.”
