New cultivar was naturally bred by the Kiwifruit Breeding Centre (KBC), Zespri’s joint venture with Plant & Food Research
The Zespri board has today approved the commercialisation of an additional red variety – Red80 – to extend the commercial selling season for Zespri RubyRed kiwifruit. The decision follows the doubling of Zespri RubyRed kiwifruit volume this year, with more than 3mn trays sold across key markets including New Zealand, Singapore, Japan, Mainland China, Taiwan, South Korea and the US.
CEO Jason Te Brake said the decision reflects Zespri’s commitment to producing new cultivars that will help Zespri maintain its market position as leaders of the kiwifruit category and maximise value for New Zealand growers.
“We have a proud history of innovation which has set us apart from our competitors and today’s decision is another example of the ongoing work our industry undertakes to meet the needs of our global consumers and deliver strong value to our growers,” said Te Brake.
“The kiwifruit category is increasingly competitive, and our customers want a consistent supply of the full portfolio of our kiwifruit, whether that is Zespri Green, Zespri SunGold, or Zespri RubyRed, so the addition of a new red variety to extend our RubyRed sales season is something we’re really excited about.
“Red kiwifruit naturally tends to be shorter storing than green and gold kiwifruit, so we currently have a limited sales window of around eight weeks. Red80 harvests a bit later than our existing Red19 cultivar and stores for longer, with the two varieties working together to keep Zespri RubyRed in front of consumers for longer, building awareness, encouraging habitual purchase, and lifting demand.”
Following the commercialisation of Red19 in 2019, commercial volumes of Zespri RubyRed kiwifruit were first sold in 2022, with the fruit extended to new markets each year to a current presence in 13 markets. Since the variety’s launch it has attracted new and younger consumers.
“Our research shows around 30 perc ent of people who purchase Zespri RubyRed are new to kiwifruit, so it brings more people into the category and creates additional opportunity for our other products,” added Te Brake.
Red80 has been naturally bred by the Kiwifruit Breeding Centre (KBC), Zespri’s joint venture with Plant & Food Research that was set up to accelerate the delivery of new cultivars. Zespri currently has 20 varieties of kiwifruit, kiwiberries, and males in pre-commercial trials from KBC, reflecting its commitment to deliver new varieties faster to meet new consumer needs, drive additional sales, and continue its growth trajectory after exceeding its ambition of reaching NZ$4.5bn in global sales by 2025.
Te Brake confirmed that 100ha of Red80 licence would be made available to growers in 2026, including through a cutover pool for those existing Red19 growers wishing to bid for a licence.
“We’re looking forward to continuing to work with growers to provide our consumers with even more great tasting and high-quality red kiwifruit, with Red80 expected to reach commercial volumes in 2028, helping deliver strong value for all of our RubyRed Kiwifruit growers,” Te Brake said.
