Production nears 100,000 tonnes as Italy’s orchards expand, helping brand meet rising demand in Europe, North America, and Asia
Kiwifruit marketer Zespri says it expects to see a 16 per cent increase in its Northern Hemisphere Sungold production this coming season, with the total crop set to be around 99,000 tonnes, or 28mn trays.
Announcing the news at Fruit Attraction in Madrid, the company said the forecast reflected continued growth across its Northern Hemisphere supply programme and the increasing contribution this made to its year-round, global supply model.
“Our Northern Hemisphere programme is an integral part of Zespri’s global supply strategy, working alongside New Zealand production to ensure customers have access to premium Zespri Kiwifruit throughout the year,” commented Nick Kirton, executive officer Northern Hemisphere.
“The continued growth of the programme strengthens our ability to support demand, expand market opportunities and create long-term across the industry.”
He added: “We manage our supply as one integrated programme, carefully coordinating fruit from New Zealand and the Northern Hemisphere to provide continuity, maintain quality and support customer programmes throughout the year.
“Having production across multiple growing regions gives us greater flexibility, helping us to changing market needs while supporting the sustainable growth of the Zespri brand around the world.”
The forecast rise is primarily driven by growth in Italy, supported by increased producing hectares and strong crop loads, Zespri noted.
Italy remains the group’s largest Northern Hemisphere source country, with forecast production of approximately 85,000 tonnes (24mn trays), 18 per cent more compared with 2025.
France’s forecast is for approximately 6,000 tonnes (1.7mn trays), broadly in line with last season despite challenging weather conditions throughout the year.
Alongside growth in SunGold kiwifruit production, the marketer said its Green-branded Hayward kiwifruit continuef to play an important role in its Northern Hemisphere supply. For 2026/27, Zespri expects to procure approximately 8mn trays of Zespri Green.
Strong growth potential
The latest forecast follows a growing season which Zespri said was characterised by “highly variable” weather conditions across several Northern Hemisphere production regions.
While growers experienced periods of high temperatures in Italy and localised weather events in parts of France, overall crop development has reportedly remained positive, thanks to “strong orchard management, technical expertise and ongoing investment”.
“While the exceptionally warm summer has influenced fruit sizing in some production areas, we expect good crop volumes overall and a smaller profile compared with last season,” said Matteo Lorenti, head of Europe supply chain.
“With harvest now underway, our focus is turning to the start of the commercial season, and we are confident of commencing packing and sales from Week 43 for our European customers and shipping for our export markets.
“The scale of this year’s Northern Hemisphere programme provides a strong platform to supply our core European markets, including Germany, Spain, Benelux, France, Italy and Switzerland while serving selected export opportunities in the UK, North America and Asia.
“In North America, now our largest export market, demand for Zespri kiwifruit continues to grow, we are targeting further growth by building on the strong momentum achieved in recent seasons.
“We are looking forward to bringing this season’s crop to market and supporting customers with a reliable supply of high-quality fruit. The combination of strong volumes, a diversified supply base and growing demand gives us confidence for the season ahead.”
