European consortium partners with Serie A volleyball club as its biggest commercial kiwifruit campaign approaches in spring
Kiwifruit brand Kikokà has been unveiled as a sponsor of professional volleyball team Cisterna Volley, which plays in the top division of the Italian Volleyball League.
The team is based in Cisterna di Latina, in the central province of Latina in Lazio, where the consortium’s production base is also situated.
“We try to support local producers, as well as local clubs like Cisterna Volley,” commented Kikokà’s CEO Fabio Zanesco. “The club and the team are a source of pride for the city, a true example of excellence. Just like us, we’re excellent in kiwifruit. In short, it’s a marriage of excellence.”
He added: “Volleyball has always been my favourite sport. And from today, I’m a Cisterna fan.”
Companies from France, Greece, Italy and Spain formed the Kikoká Europe consortium in early 2024, and this entity began to sell its first commercial volumes in recent weeks.
According to Zanesco, it expects to market around 4,500-4,700 tonnes of its two licensed, yellow-fleshed varieties, principally from the European spring onwards.
“There is a market opportunity to grow consumption in that second part of the season,” Zanesco explained at Fruit Attraction in Madrid. “And I would say that consumption in the yellow kiwifruit as a category is positive, and the key is to give consumers a good product.”
Kikokà has spent the past few months introducing a comprehensive quality system which it says can meet the expectations of customers and suppliers. “Plantings extended in Italy, Greece, France, and Spain are certainly a challenging factor, requiring a careful scientific technical support,” says new technical director Mirco Stefanati.
“But the potential of the Kikokà varieties is truly remarkable, and I am highly motivated to achieve soon production levels that are in line with the business plans of the consortium and our members.”
