With production on the rise in France, Portugal and Greece, kiwifruit marketer Primland is ready to respond to increasing consumer demand
The European Commission has officially approved the health claim that “consumption of green kiwifruit contributes to normal bowel function by increasing stool frequency” – based on a daily intake of two fresh green kiwifruit. It may not be the sexiest claim ever, but it’s pretty groundbreaking, given it’s one of just three health claims to have been approved by the EU in the last five years.
For Jean-Baptiste Pinel, managing director of French kiwifruit marketer Primland, this is welcome validation of the fruit’s strong reputation. “Kiwifruit already has a good reputation for being a healthy fruit, and now the European Commission has validated that with official recognition of its nutritional qualities,” he says. “This is excellent news not just for Primland but for the whole kiwifruit industry.”
The company continues to prioritise efforts to develop the best kiwifruit varieties to satisfy its growers, its customers and, of course, the final consumer. “Over time we’ve built up a great offer that includes green, gold, red and organic kiwifruit under the Oscar brand, and we continue to invest in research and development for the newest varieties,” says Pinel. “This has been our strategy over the last 20 years.”
Also part of Primland’s long-term strategy has been its commitment to sustainability. “We are always developing tools to adapt our ways of producing kiwifruit – using nets to protect from hail, using sensors in the soil to calculate the trees’ exact water needs and adapting techniques to control grasses in the field without using herbicides,” says Pinel. “For us it’s just a part of the business.”
As, sadly, is climate change. “This is the reality,” laments Pinel. “We have seen more rain and floods in the last few years, with excess water in the soil affecting kiwifruit trees, sometimes fatally. The frosts are also becoming harsher, especially in the springtime.”
But demand for French kiwifruit is high this season, with good prices and returns for growers, according to Pinel. For Primland, the Asian market may have dipped of late, but Europe, especially France, as well as North and South America, have grown.
“The French market is performing very well,” says Pinel, “thanks to our efforts on new varieties and segmentation, as well as various marketing activities. We continue to forge partnerships with retailers, holding in-store promotions and contests, and we are promoting on social media, as well as on French radio for the second consecutive season.”
More and more consumers are getting to know the sweeter golden kiwifruit. Volumes of Oscar Gold currently stand at around 750 tonnes and are on the rise, not just in France, but also through Primland’s partners in Portugal and Greece.
“In total, we have around 1,000 tonnes of gold kiwifruit in production,” reveals Pinel. “Consumers love it. Of course, some consumers who used to always buy green now choose gold, but this is just the nature of segmentation. The total size of the cake increases, but parts of it will naturally decrease as well. Volumes of Oscar Gold are rising year after year. We have trees that still need to mature, so it will take time to grow.”
