Years of research and trials culminate in official roll-out of Italian-grown, red-fleshed kiwifruit to supermarkets across Belgium
Supermarket shoppers across Belgium will be among the very first in Europe to discover Zespri Red, the brand’s new kiwifruit variety, which features a striking red centre and a naturally sweet, berry-like flavour.
Following a successful trial period, the variety is now making its official European market debut, with the fruit going on sale in several major supermarket chains.
“Behind this kiwifruit lies more than fifteen years of research and development through natural crossbreeding and selection,” said Nele Moorthamers, Zespri’s head of marketing for the EU.
“Being able to introduce the result of this long journey to consumers in Belgium makes this launch especially significant.”
The variety was developed in New Zealand and subsequently tested for years under European growing conditions in collaboration with growers. Today, it is produced in Italy.
Marketed as Zespri Red, the variety adds a new flavour and taste experience to the company’s European range, alongside its classic green kiwifruit – sold as Zespri Green – and its golden variety, sold as Zespri SunGold.
Moorthamers added: “Belgium is a true kiwifruit market, which is exactly why we are excited to introduce Zespri Red here first.”
Crossbreeding to kiwifruit
As Moorthamers observed, the launch of a new fruit variety is not a common occurrence, and new products only rarely make it to commercial launch.
“What consumers will soon find on supermarket shelves represents years of research, selection and testing. Innovation is deeply rooted in Zespri’s DNA,” she said.
“By continuously innovating within the fruit category, we aim not only to surprise consumers but also to offer appealing, nutrient-rich options that fit within a healthy lifestyle.”
In fact, Zespri Red is the result of more than fifteen years of research and orchard trials.
The variety, Actinidia chinensis var. chinensis ‘Zes008’, was developed naturally through conventional crossbreeding and selection, meaning it is not genetically modified.
As Zespri explains, the original cross involved pollinating a female kiwifruit flower with pollen from a male plant.
The resulting offspring were then evaluated over multiple generations for characteristics including flavour, appearance, and yield.
That research was conducted in partnership with the Kiwifruit Breeding Centre (KBC), a collaboration between Zespri and New Zealand’s Bioeconomy Science Institute.
New varieties are not only tested in New Zealand. Across Italy, different cultivars are also evaluated at multiple locations and under varying soil and climate conditions by Zespri and KBC researchers.
This allows the teams to assess how varieties perform specifically under European growing conditions.
Zespri Red is the first red-fleshed kiwifruit variety from this breeding and development programme to be commercially launched in Europe.
Italian origin
Production in Italy forms part of Zespri Global Supply, the company’s sourcing programme which it runs with growers and suppliers outside New Zealand.
Countries involved include Italy, France, Greece, Japan and South Korea, and today Northern Hemisphere production accounts for approximately 10 per cent of Zespri’s total output.
Italy plays a key role within that network, the company says, with its “long-standing tradition” in kiwifruit cultivation.
Plus it serves as an important European hub for Zespri’s wider production, research and innovation networks.
For the time being, all European production of Zespri Red is located in Italy, specifically in the Lazio region around Latina.
Thanks to favourable weather conditions, this year’s Italian harvest of Zespri Red began as early as mid-September, making it the earliest-harvested Zespri variety of the Italian season – even ahead of SunGold.
In March 2025, Zespri approved the commercial rollout of the variety. Between 2026 and 2028, a total of 170ha of Red orchards are planned in Italy.
All growers are based in Lazio, and all fruit is packed within the region to ensure optimal quality and shelf-life, the group noted.
Ella Maxwell, who is responsible for the Italian development programme at KBC, commented: “Bringing Zespri Red to Europe required years of testing, collaboration and learning. Together with our growers, we studied how the variety performs under European conditions and continuously refined growing practices step by step. This enables us to deliver the level of quality that consumers expect from Zespri.”
As a result, Zespri sees its Red development in Europe as not only introducing a new flavour experience to supermarket shelves, but also contributing to continued innovation and diversification within European kiwifruit production and the wider fruit industry.
Zespri Red will be available in Belgium from mid-October at most major supermarket chains, including Okay, Spar, Carrefour, Delhaize, Intermarché, Aldi and Jumbo.
As the first European harvest remains limited, it is expected to be available for only a few weeks. “Consumers keen to try it should not wait too long,” the company added.a
