Zespri’s total global kiwifruit sales increase from $1.9 billion in 2015/16 to $3.92 billion in 2022
Zespri has officially opened its new Centre of Sales and Marketing Excellence in Singapore. The Centre was first established in 2015 and acts as a vital hub connecting Zespri’s markets together, as well as connecting all markets with growers in New Zealand and offshore.
New Zealand High Commissioner to Singapore, Her Excellency Gabrielle Rush and New Zealand Trade Commissioner Maggie Christie attended the opening, along with around 60 growers from New Zealand as part of the first industry tour since Covid-19 which will also visit orchards, packhouses and key markets in Europe.
Tauranga Moana Kaumatua Turi Ngatai blessed the office and its traditional Māori carving which symbolises the connection to Zespri’s roots in the Bay of Plenty where the majority of Zespri Kiwifruit is grown. The office features many collaboration spaces and a base camp area where the New Zealand kiwifruit industry’s history is on display, and with a mural demonstrating the strong connection between New Zealand and Singapore where Zespri has been selling kiwifruit for more than 30 years.
Zespri CEO Dan Mathieson says “Singapore hub plays a critical role in Zespri’s ability to return value back to growers and communities. Our Centre of Sales and Marketing Excellence is the gateway to all of our major markets and the heartbeat of our sales and marketing strategy, supporting our 17 offices around the world and it was brilliant we could have our growers join us for this important event after the extended Covid-enforced delay. The hub has been pivotal in the ongoing strengthening of our brand, including the global roll-out of our successful KiwiBrothers campaigns, which has helped us grow demand and attract new consumers, and we’re looking forward to this continuing in the years ahead”.
“Zespri had been able to recruit a number of sales and marketing experts from the FMCG sector as it continued to invest in strengthening the way it sells kiwifruit, and the Zespri brand. Zespri’s total global kiwifruit sales increase from $1.9 billion in 2015/16 to $3.92 billion last year with value creation in the category” added CEO Mathieson.
Māori Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated (MKGI) grower Geoff Rolleston attended the opening and says the event reinforced and celebrated the important cultural connections between Māori, New Zealand growers and the Zespri teams which are truly multicultural. As Mathieson envisions, with strong volumes expected in the next few years following a challenging couple of seasons, Zespri looks forward to driving more innovative campaigns to market more super-healthy, great-tasting kiwifruit to people around the world and delivering sustainable value back to its growers.