Asiafruit Magazine - April/May 2025 - Fresh Produce Vietnam Edition

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New horizons

Vietnam’s fruit trade must expand into second-tier cities across the country and capitalise on new export opportunities to sustain its boom. Is the industry ready for the challenge?

Clearly, there is huge growth potential for Vietnam's fresh produce business, but the industry needs to delve deeper and diversify to sustain the boom

Taking Vietnam's fruit business to the next level

We're delighted to be in Ho Chi Minh City on 13-14 May for Fresh Produce Vietnam, our brand-new international event for Vietnam's fast-growing fruit and vegetable business. Vietnam has earned a reputation as a 'rising star' over the past decade, and one of Asia's most exciting and dynamic markets for the fresh produce trade. Not surprising given its youthful population, high-growth economy, and swelling middle class. Vietnam has become a major importer of apples, citrus and grapes among other products. It is now a key supplier to China for big lines like bananas, dragon fruit and durian. The rapid expansion of supermarket retailing in Vietnam has also been a driver of growth for imported and branded fruits. And the landscape continues to evolve as modern retail further reshapes consumer behaviour with new shopping experiences while digital channels emerge strongly. While the long-term outlook for the economy is bright, Vietnam faces some headwinds, with US tariffs and global trade volatility threatening its export-led growth. Domestically too, consumers have become more price-conscious, with an increase in value-based purchases. Clearly, there is huge growth potential for Vietnam's fresh produce business, but the industry needs to delve deeper and diversify to sustain the boom. Marketers of imported fruits must extend their reach beyond Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi into the many other cities across the country. This will require development of cold chain infrastructure and distribution networks. Vietnam's fruit export trade was once dominated by dragon fruit to China. Today it has expanded to include bananas, durian and other fruits. With China's appetite for tropical fruits on the rise, the industry must now maintain access to that market for these newer products and build its reputation while also diversifying into other markets. On the production side too, Vietnam must upgrade management of fruit orchards and work on nurseries and rootstock development to make real advances. It's clear that a massive team effort will be required...we look forward to discussing the keys to success, and to nurturing new partnerships at Fresh Produce Vietnam! A

John Hey, Editor

Events

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EDITORIAL

editor

John Hey

+61 3 9040 1602 john@fruitnet.com

digital editor

Liam O'Callaghan +61 3 9040 1605 liam@fruitnet.com

staff journalist

Bree Caggiati

+61 3 9040 1606 bree@fruitnet.com

china editor

Yuxin Yang +61 3 9040 1604 yuxin@fruitnet.com

DESIGN & PRODUCTION

design manager

Simon Spreckley

+44 20 7501 3713 simon@fruitnet.com

senior designer

Qiong Wu

+61 3 9040 1603 wobo@fruitnet.com

senior designer Mai Luong

+44 20 7501 3713 mai@fruitnet.com

graphic designer

Asma Kapoor

+44 20 7501 3713 asma@fruitnet.com

EVENTS & MARKETING

head of events and marketing

Laura Martín Nuñez

+44 20 7501 3720 laura@fruitnet.com

events executive Maria Santamaria Peláez

+44 20 7501 3719 mariasan@fruitnet.com

ADMINISTRATION

finance director

Elvan Gul +44 20 7501 3711 elvan@fruitnet.com

accounts receivable

Tracey Haines

+44 20 7501 3717 tracey@fruitnet.com

finance manager

Günal Yildiz

+44 20 7501 3714 gunal@fruitnet.com

subscriptions

+44 20 7501 0311 subscriptions@fruitnet.com

ADVERTISING

asia pacific

Kate Riches

+61 3 9040 1601 kate@fruitnet.com

europe & middle east

Artur Wiselka

+44 20 7501 0309 artur@fruitnet.com

greater china, thailand & philippines

Jennifer Zhang +86 21 6136 6010 jennifer@fruitnet.com

uk, ireland, belgium, greece, turkey & south-east europe

Giorgio Mancino

+44 20 7501 3716 giorgio@fruitnet.com

us & canada

Jeff Long +1 805 966 0815 jeff@fruitnet.com

south africa

Fred Meintjes +27 28 754 1418 fredmeintjes@fruitnet.com

italy

Giordano Giardi +39 059 786 3839 giordano@fruitnet.com

MANAGEMENT

commercial director

Ulrike Niggemann

+49 211 99 10 425 ulrike@fruitnet.com

managing director

Chris White +44 20 7501 3710 chris@fruitnet.com

CONTRIBUTORS

Jeff Long fruitnet

Jeff talks to California Table Grape Commission director of international marketing for Asia, Lisa Massie, about the rollout of its new global campaign in Vietnam. vietnam–p29

Mike Knowles fruitnet

Mike delivers an in-depth report on Zespri's recent company-wide tech updates which cater to the marketer's continued growth in production. new zealand–p38-42

Phil Johnstone

plant & food research

Phil shares an update on the five-year passion fruit development project, VietFruit, which is working to boost productivity across the value chain.

vietnam–p36

Fred Meintjes fruitnet

South Africa correspondent Fred spotlights South Africa's apple and pear trade, which is set to expand in Asia after regaining access to Thailand.

rsa apples & pears–p56-65

DFI Retail GroupSingaporeandivests supermarket business

Buyer, South-East Asian retail group Macrovalue, already operates Giant and Cold Storage brands in Malaysia.

by Liam O’Callaghan

DFI Retail Group has announced plans to sell its Singapore food business, which includes the Cold Storage, CS Fresh, Jason’s Deli and Giant brands, to South-East Asian retail group Macrovalue.

Macrovalue, under the leadership of entrepreneurs Datuk Andrew Lim and Datuk Gary Yap, is a familiar partner to DFI, having successfully acquired DFI’s Malaysia food business in 2023. DFI said Macrovalue has operated and grown the Giant and Cold Storage brands in Malaysia, making it well-positioned to ensure a seamless transition.

DFI said it will pivot its focus and resources in Singapore towards the Guardian and 7-Eleven businesses to drive further growth,

improved customer experience and enhanced returns.

“In today’s environment of rising food costs and inflation, it is essential to leverage scale and operational efficiencies to protect customers from price volatility while maintaining quality and service standard. We firmly believe that Macrovalue is ideally positioned to drive the next phase of growth for the Singapore food business with its expanded scale and procurement power across both Malaysia and Singapore. They are uniquely equipped to unlock these efficiencies and deliver greater value to customers – achieving outcomes that would have been more challenging to accomplish for retailers with a presence only in Singapore,” said Scott Price, group chief executive,

DFI Retail Group.

OPPOSITE—The sale will include Cold Storage, CS Fresh, Jason’s Deli and Giant brands

ABOVE—CS Fresh is an upscale supermarket chain offering a range of premium imported fresh produce

“This transition is expected to benefit customers in Singapore with an enhanced product range, more competitive pricing, and improved service under an owner with the capabilities and commitment to invest in long-term success. Macrovalue is well-placed to build on the strong foundation and customer loyalty that our team members have worked so hard to establish,” Price added.

“At the same time, DFI remains deeply committed to Singapore as a key market in our portfolio. We are sharpening our focus and investment in Guardian and 7-Eleven to deliver even greater value, convenience, and innovation to customers. These businesses hold significant potential for growth, and our dedicated teams in Singapore are working hard to ensure that we continue to meet and exceed the expectations of our customers in the years ahead.”

The initial purchase price for the transaction is S$125mn (US$93mn), subject to adjustments. The transaction is also subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to complete in the second half of 2025. A

Tariff wars

This month Trump’s tumultuous tariffs approach has left many suppliers around the globe confused about what may lie ahead. The UN Trade and Development body (UNCTAD) has called for the most vulnerable countries to be protected from any reciprocal tariffs saying, “any trade concessions they grant would mean little to the US”. In Latin America, the potential impact on fresh produce exports remains a major cause for concern given Chile’s annual grape and citrus shipments to the US alone are worth almost US$2bn. For exporters in Mexico and Canada, it appears tarifffree access for fruit and vegetables remains intact – at least for now – under the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

Trade

Korea has been granted permission to export its strawberries to Brazil after eight years of negotiations. French apples have secured market access in Mexico. And the arrival of the first consignment of South African apples in Thailand, following a 16-year absence, has been celebrated at Talaad Thai Market, north of Bangkok.

Spain, too, has signed a new protocol, one which opens the Chinese market to its cherry exports. The country exported almost 40,000 tonnes of cherries in 2024, but the vast majority was sold within Europe.

Durian

Thailand’s durian industry has urged its government to advocate for improved export conditions to China as it continues to struggle with new export requirements. All Thai durian bound for export to China must now be accompanied by documentation certifying the absence of Basic Yellow 2 (BY2), but with recent lab closures one exporter says this is “nearly impossible” to achieve.

OPPOSITE—Maersk has released insights from over 500 industry leaders ABOVE—UNCTAD calls for tariff exemptions LEFT—Driscoll’s has lost an IP case in the US »

Meanwhile, Indonesia and Laos continue to edge closer to gaining access to China for their own growing durian industries. Local media in Indonesia reported officials from China’s General Administration of Customs (GACC) have assessed local durian plantations and packhouses. Though some sources say its supply chains aren’t yet adequately developed. In Laos, the government has granted concessions to three local businesses to start large-scale durian production on over 270ha of released land.

Berries

A court in the US has ruled that strawberries bred by California Berry Cultivars do not infringe the IP owned by leading berry brand Driscoll’s. The case hinged on a judgement that crossbreeding of varieties outside the US is not covered by the country’s Plant Patent Act. Chile’s blueberry

industry, meanwhile, has exceeded early-season expectations and reversed its recent downward trend by exporting a reported 90,000 tonnes in the past few months.

The Australian avocado season has officially kicked off with a launch roadshow across Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong hosted

ABOVE—China’s GACC has visited Indonesia’s durian industry

LEFT—Spain can now export cherries into China

OPPOSITE

TOP—Avocados

Australia hosted a season launch at the wholesale market in Kuala Lumpur

OPPOSITE

BOTTOM—Bloom

Fresh’s Campbell Banfield

Avocados

by Avocados Australia. This included a welcome party at the wholesale market in Kuala Lumpur on 3 March followed by a networking session at The Majestic Hotel, attended by over 60 guests.

Spain is set for record avocado and mango production this year, following a prolonged period of rain across much of the country in March. Mexico expects to export more avocados this season too, buoyed by favourable growing conditions, improved production practices, and strong international demand. Brazil wins the prize for most market openings – this year, it can also ship its Hass avocados to Japan, Chile, Costa Rica and India.

Apples & pears

For the first time last year, New Zealand sold more than NZ$1bn worth of apples and pears overseas, according to new data released by New Zealand Apples and Pears. A lot of that success is down to the country’s sales growth in Asia, where French company Blue Whale has also enjoyed notable growth in apples over the past decade. Its Candine brand just scooped a major award in South-East Asia (see p27) and is described as a “perfect variety” for the Asian market.

In the US, following the closure of Sage Fruit Company, Chelan Fruit, Legacy Fruit, and Pacific Coast Cherry Packers have joined CMI Orchards, positioning the apple and cherry grower-packer as a world-leading supplier of both commodities.

Citrus

Chilean citrus exports are forecast to reach around 444,000 tonnes in 2025, an increase of 11 per cent on

last year, according to the first estimates released by the Chilean Citrus Committee. Mandarin, clementine, and lemon exports are expected to grow by 32 per cent, 25 per cent and 6 per cent respectively this year, while orange exports are forecast to fall by 18 per cent due to a lower volume of Fukumoto oranges.

Logistics

Fresh Carriers and Zespri have carried out the first kiwifruit charter powered by a low-emissions fuel. With biofuel not available in New Zealand, the vessel bunkered the biofuel in Hong Kong before sailing south to Tauranga where it was loaded with 1.2mn trays or around 5,400 tonnes of Zespri SunGold kiwifruit, as well as 16 containers of Zespri RubyRed kiwifruit for customers in Greater China.

Maersk has released its new Logistics Trend Map, which it says helps companies focus on the most relevant trends and game-changers for future supply chain management. The report is based on analysis by partner Statista as well as expert interviews and insights from more than 500 industry logistics leaders.

Appointments

Leading fruit breeder Bloom Fresh has announced the appointment of Campbell Banfield as its new general manager Australia, New Zealand, South-East Asia & Korea. The company said the move underscores its belief in the huge growth potential in the table grape, cherry, raisin and blueberry industries in these markets. A

Dynamism on display at Fresh Produce India

India’s premier business event explores the rapid rise of quick commerce, shifting consumer preferences and growth in demand for premium imported offerings.

by Bree Caggiati

India continues to shine as a high-potential market for the global fresh produce business. With a growing middle class, increasing health consciousness, and new demand for premium fruits such as avocados and blueberries, both India’s import sector and its domestic production are rising to the challenge.

This was the message delivered to some 300 key players from across the industry who gathered in Mumbai’s Trident Nariman Point

Hotel for the annual Fresh Produce India event on 3-4 April 2025.

The two-day event, organised by Fruitnet with official partner Asia Fruit Logistica, featured a packed content programme of presentations and panels within the bustling expo hall which played host to tastings, networking and discovery.

Day Two included exclusive curated tours with delegates visiting a range of key wholesale, distribution and retail points.

The first morning kicked off

“Quick commerce has been able to create demand that didn’t exist before...that’s where we’ve seen the biggest change”

with a restorative yoga session led by Ira Trivedi on the hotel grounds, followed by a healthy breakfast spread curated by celebrity chef Amrita Raichand and sponsored by Avocados Australia and Summerfruit Australia.

Quick commerce boom creates new opportunities

Sachin Khurana of QuikRelations opened the content programme with a presentation on the rise of India’s quick commerce (q-commerce) revolution.

“[It takes] anywhere from ten to 15 minutes to deliver – at times less than ten minutes,” Khurana said.

“And that has changed the way we are shopping in our country.”

According to Khurana, with the quick commerce service,

shoppers are more likely to shop spontaneously multiple times a day than make a dedicated weekly shopping trip. This has created demand for products that didn’t previously exist – including for exotic imported fruit, he noted.

“The way quick commerce has been able to tap that market and create demand that did not exist before, I think that’s where we’ve seen the biggest change.”

Khurana was then joined by top q-commerce players Zepto’s Ramlingha Rajoo, Swiggy Instamart’s Raunak Shetty and Blinkit’s Sarthak Jain to discuss the future growth opportunities and challenges for the sector.

“Looking at the fruit industry, it would be around US$70bn here in India,” Jain shared. “Quick

OPPOSITE

TOP—Some 300 delegates attended Fresh Produce India 2025

OPPOSITE MIDDLE & BOTTOM—Suri Agro Fresh hosted a tour of its distribution facility

ABOVE—

Networking opportunities were plentiful

ABOVE BOTTOM

LEFT—KPN Farm Fresh won India Business 2025 at the inaugural Fresh Produce India Awards

commerce is already around US$2-US$3bn annually, which is close to 5 per cent so we're just skimming the surface and there's so much market left to be unlocked.”

He went on to say Blinkit, alongside other players including Zepto and Swiggy, were working towards gaining a 30-40 per cent market share of India’s fresh produce sector in the future.

For Jain, this will be accomplished by building trust with consumers and providing unique opportunities.

“A couple of months back, strawberries harvested early morning were delivered to our warehouses by the evening and then delivered to the customers the next morning,” he shared. “That's where we have been able to sort of create value in the ecosystem by bringing anything and everything from farms directly to the customers in 24 to 48 hours.”

Elsewhere on the programme, industry leaders unpacked India’s rise as production hub for fruits like berries, dragon fruit and avocados; spoke on how to build an apple brand in India; and explored case studies on cutx--ting-edge technologies with the

Fresh Produce India Awards celebrate excellence

This year’s event also staged the launch of the inaugural Fresh Produce India Awards, presented by Fruitnet to recognise outstanding achievement in India’s fresh fruit and vegetable business.

ABOVE—Qcommerce leaders discuss the sector’s rapid rise

LEFT—A visit to Freshpik provided insights on India’s premium retail formats

BELOW—As part of the tour, delegates visited Mumbai’s Vashi wholesale market

potential to shake up the industry.

The closing session spotlighted South Africa’s fast-growing role as a supplier of imported fruits to India. The panel discussion highlighted exciting potential for established categories as well as emerging products such as plums, avocados, berries, mangoes and lychees.

Tamil Nadu-based greengrocer chain KPN Farm Fresh scooped the India Business Award. The India Marketing Campaign Award went to the World Avocado Organisation (WAO), and Sahyadri Farms was presented with the India Impact Award for its pioneering role in enabling smallholder farmers and advancing India’s fresh produce industry.

Tours provide first-hand fresh insights

Day Two offered exclusive curated tours, starting at Mumbai’s bustling Vashi wholesale market where stallholders were busy unpacking arrivals of India’s new-season mangoes. At the next stop delegates gained exclusive behind-the-scenes access to Suri Agro Fresh’s state-of-the-art distribution facility, touring cold rooms, packing lines and being treated to a delicious chef-prepared vegetarian lunch spread. The final stop had delegates visiting one of Reliance Retail’s premium Freshpik formats with a guided tour of the retail space including product sampling. A

Asia Fruit Logistica Thailand Meet Up spotlights South-East Asia

Join Asia Fruit Logistica in Bangkok on 25 June for a day of networking and knowledgesharing focused on the dynamic ASEAN markets.

by John Hey & Yuxin Yang

Asia Fruit Logistica Thailand Meet Up returns on 25 June to offer fresh produce professionals a prime platform to connect, share knowledge, and explore industry opportunities in the fast-growing ASEAN markets.

Following on from Fresh Produce India (3-4 April) and Fresh Produce Vietnam (13-14 May), the Bangkok event is the final stop in Asia Fruit Logistica’s roadshow of Meet Ups before the premier trade

show returns to Hong Kong on 3-5 September 2025.

Asia Fruit Logistica Thailand Meet Up serves as a central hub for networking and business development with a focus on the ASEAN region. Attendees can connect with key industry professionals from across SouthEast Asia, China and beyond.

Held at the Carlton Hotel Sukhumvit, the event features a high-quality content programme curated by Asiafruit. The

BELOW TOP—The Thailand Meet Up brings together key figures from the regional trade

BELOW BOTTOM— (l-r) Speakers include Vincent Yeh of Xingyeyuan Group and Driscoll’s’ Andy Suh

programme covers critical topics such as food safety, emerging trade trends, and the growing influence of China as a supplier to South-East Asia.

A host of industry experts and decision-makers from leading fruit companies around the world have signed up to speak at the Thailand Meet Up. Andy Suh, senior director (Rest of Asia) at Driscoll’s, and Vincent Yeh, CEO of Xingyeyuan Group’s international business arm, Xingyeyuan Supply Chain, share their insights on China’s expanding role as a supplier to South-East Asia. Suh explains how China’s rise as a supplier of high-quality berries and diversification beyond blueberries is helping to grow the category in key regional markets. Yeh also unpacks the premiumisation trend in Chinese production and the emergence of higher-value products. He details how it is bringing renewed impetus to exports and driving brand development.

A session spotlighting Asia’s durian boom hears from John Cao, project manager for Joy Wing Mau’s flagship durian brand, Joyvio Durian; on key trends in the China market. Representatives of durian supplying countries across South-East Asia, including Natakrit Eamskul, CEO of Thailand’s Platinum Fruits, also provide updates on their respective countries’ industries.

Other sessions at the Thailand Meet Up analyse the latest trade trends in ASEAN markets and focus on food safety and technology, with insights on how new technologies are streamlining trade across the region.

Asia Fruit Logistica Thailand Meet Up provides ample opportunities to network and build business connections in a relaxed setting. The event includes a business networking lunch, two networking breaks and an evening cocktail reception.

Day Two of Asia Fruit Logistica Thailand Meet Up (26 June) offers an optional study tour for attendees. Delegates can join a tour of Talaad Thai Wholesale Market, the largest agri-wholesale market in SouthEast Asia, as well as a hosted visit to the facilities of City Fresh Fruit, one of Thailand’s top fruit importerdistributors. A

Big names inbusinessgather at Fresh Produce Vietnam

by John Hey

Leading executives from Fresh Del Monte, Vinafruit, Joy Wing Mau Asia, T&G Global and Goodfarmer to meet in Ho Chi Minh City for Fruitnet’s new event on the booming Vietnam market.

Some of the biggest names in the global fresh produce business will be alongside leading Vietnamese companies taking part in Fresh Produce Vietnam – the brandnew international event for Vietnam’s fastgrowing fruit and vegetable industry – which is held on 13-14 May in Ho Chi Minh City.

Global heavyweights will be joined by many of the top companies and organisations in Vietnam’s fresh produce business, including the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association (Vinafruit), major food retailers such as Aeon and Central Retail Vietnam, The Fruit Republic, boutique fruit chain Klever Fruit, and leading fruit importers and exporters.

Organised by Fruitnet Media International with official partner Asia Fruit Logistica, the conference and networking expo takes place at the deluxe Sheraton Saigon Grand Opera Hotel in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City.

OPPOSITE—Fresh Produce Vietnam’s high-profile speaker lineup features big industry names and top analysts

OPPOSITE CENTRE—The event takes place at the Sheraton Saigon Grand Opera Hotel in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City »

Fresh Produce Vietnam features a full-day content programme on Tuesday 13 May packed with expert talks, presentations and interviews. Running alongside this is a boutique B2B expo, enabling delegates to enjoy non-stop networking throughout the day. Day Two (14 May) offers a programme of organised visits to

some of Ho Chi Minh City’s top food retail stores.

A host of high-profile names have signed up to speak at Fresh Produce Vietnam. Mohammed Abbas, Fresh Del Monte’s chief operating officer, Paul Le, VP of Central Retail Vietnam, and T&G Global’s GM of Asia, James Gordon, take part in an opening panel discussion analysing the market opportunity of Vietnam for the global fresh produce business.

Setting the scene for the session, Richard Burrage of market research agency Cimigo shares his expert insight on the future trajectory of the Vietnamese economy and consumer market.

Hai Nguyen, CEO of leading boutique fruit retailer Klever Fruit, leads a session on Vietnam’s fast-growing fruit imports, unpacking the key market trends and developments. He’s joined by JWM Asia’s general manager of trade Danny Guo and Laurent de Smedt of major Belgian cooperative BelOrta to discuss what’s next for the import trade – from developing distribution into second-tier cities to introducing new varieties.

Ben Reilly of Australian irradiation provider Steritech also explains the value the treatment can offer in facilitating market access for both fresh fruit imports to Vietnam and exports from the country.

ABOVE LEFT & CENTRE—The programme explores all aspects of Vietnam’s fastevolving fresh produce business, including exports, imports and modern food retail

FAR LEFT & RIGHT— Delegates can visit Ho Chi Minh City’s bustling Thu Duc wholesale market

Vietnam’s booming fresh produce exports are high on the agenda at Fresh Produce Vietnam. Dang Phuc Nguyen, general secretary of Vinafruit, outlines the opportunities and challenges facing the industry as it seeks to capitalise on market access to China for durian and coconuts while further diversifying its export presence with powerhouse products such as dragon fruit and bananas. Leading buyers and suppliers are on-hand to share their insights, including Goodfarmer’s purchasing director Andy Lu and Thao Nguyen of Hoang Phat Fruit Co.

Supermarket retailing continues to expand apace in Vietnam. Johann Hall, director of Nielsen IQ, provides in-depth analysis of the evolving food retail landscape.

Aeon’s head of fresh produce Chinh Bui then joins Fresh Fruit-X MD Jose Vottero and Benoit Baroche, Blue Whale’s marketing manager Asia, in a panel discussion looking at how fresh produce marketers can partner with food retailers and build their brands.

With a young and tech-savvy population, Vietnam’s digital economy is taking off. Ryan Molloy, CEO of RedFern Digital, hosts a session on ‘connecting with the Vietnamese consumers’. He explains how fresh produce brands can harness digital channels and market more effectively to target-demographics.

Fresh Produce Vietnam wraps up with a look at how the nation can capitalise on its huge potential as a producer through investment in more advanced and sustainable growing systems. Siebe van Wijk, MD of The Fruit Republic, presents a case study on how the company is helping to professionalise Vietnam’s citrus industry through its Succeeds project.

With a mix of lively sessions in a shared conference and expo area, Fresh Produce Vietnam enables delegates to connect with top buyers, suppliers and service providers and tap into a wealth of established expertise and new talent.

Non-stop networking, experiential tours

Fresh Produce Vietnam brings together leading players across Vietnam’s fresh produce business with regional and international suppliers and retailers as well as key service providers to the industry in every sector from logistics and cold chain to technology and packaging.

Delegates can enjoy non-stop networking throughout the event, including an evening cocktail hosted by Asia Fruit Logistica on Day One.

Study tours also give delegates the opportunity to see Vietnam’s vibrant fresh produce market firsthand. These include a nighttime visit to the city’s bustling Thu Duc Wholesale Market on Day One.

Day Two (14 May) offers a programme of organised visits to top supermarket outlets in Ho Chi Minh City showcasing some best-in-class examples of food retail in Vietnam. Places are limited and will be allocated to delegates on a first come, first served basis. A

Joybee Fruits to expand Zespri’s reach in Vietnam

JWM Asia and An Minh form joint venture to become a new distribution partner for Zespri in the Vietnam market.

by John Hey

Joybee Fruits has announced its launch as a new distribution partner for Zespri in Vietnam, marking an “exciting milestone for the fresh fruit industry in Vietnam”.

The new entity – a strategic joint venture between JWM Asia, which is part of the Joy Wing Mau Group, and leading Vietnamese fruit importer, An Minh – says it combines “regional expertise with deep local market knowledge to strengthen Zespri’s presence in Vietnam”.

Joy Wing Mau Group, Zespri’s long-term strategic partner and its single-largest customer globally, is a regional partner with proven expertise in fresh produce distribution, according to the announcement. Leveraging its omnichannel retail network, digital supply chain capabilities, and

brand marketing strength, Joy Wing Mau Group plays a key role in driving Zespri’s market growth and brand recognition in China and Hong Kong.

An Minh IET Co is a longstanding distribution partner of JWM Asia and brings an established infrastructure and an extensive distribution network across Vietnam, “ensuring seamless market distribution conditions for Zespri kiwifruit”, the announcement details.

Joybee Fruits says it has “facilitated a key strategic opportunity to further develop Zespri’s business in Vietnam”, capitalising on emerging growth trends and expanding consumer demand for premium kiwifruit.

Zespri is a well-recognised and trusted brand in Vietnam, known for its high-quality kiwifruit from New Zealand and commitment to delivering nutritional excellence, Joybee Fruits notes.

With a population of 100mn spread across 63 provinces and municipalities, Vietnam presents “an enormous opportunity” for expansion beyond its traditional strongholds, according to JWM Asia’s GM of trade, Danny Guo.

“Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City remain the largest urban markets, accounting for approximately 18mn

BELOW LEFT—The JWM Asia and An Minh teams celebrate the launch of

consumers, but Vietnam’s greatest growth potential lies in developing demand across second-tier cities and emerging regions,” Guo says.

“Joybee Fruits is committed to broadening Zespri’s reach across Vietnam, ensuring access to premium kiwifruit through a multichannel distribution strategy that includes wholesale distributors, retailers and online platforms.

“By leveraging established market expertise, Joybee will also introduce best practices from Joy Wing Mau Group’s successful operations in other regions to optimise distribution, improve engagement, and enhance brand visibility in Vietnam.”

Beyond expanding distribution, Joybee says it will work closely with Zespri and other distribution partners to actively promote Zespri kiwifruit through consumer education and brand-building initiatives.

“The main focus will be on highlighting the unique nutritional benefits of Zespri kiwifruit, including its rich 20-vitamin and mineral content and digestive health advantages,” says Guo.

“Additionally, to achieve the optimal consumer experience, efforts will be made on educating consumers about the best ways to enjoy kiwifruit, helping them incorporate it into their diets for a healthier lifestyle.

“Finally, innovative marketing strategies will be implemented that resonate with local consumer preferences, building stronger brand awareness and loyalty.”

Through these efforts, Joybee Fruits says its main objective is to add value to the fresh fruit industry in Vietnam, ensuring long-term growth and reinforcing Zespri’s position as the leading kiwifruit brand in the market. A

Joybee Fruits

T&G and WinCommerce partner to grow Envy apple sales

Following the signing of a new MoU, WinCommerce has agreed to expand ranging and promotions to increase sales of Envy by 50 per cent.

by Bree Caggiati

T&G and WinCommerce have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to significantly grow sales of T&G’s premium Envy branded apples in Vietnam.

The companies, which have worked together for over eight years, signed the MoU in Ho Chi Minh City on 27 February, in the presence of New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon.

The agreement is set to increase sales of T&G’s premium Envy branded apples by 50 per cent over the next two years by increasing ranging in the majority of WinCommerce’s nearly 4,000 stores, along with enhancing investment in promotions and sampling.

T&G Global’s chief executive, Gareth Edgecombe, said Vietnam is a key growth market for T&G and this MoU further strengthens the company’s partnership with WinCommerce.

“Over the last five years, our premium Envy branded apples have grown significantly in market share, and today, with 40 per cent of the segment, it is the leading premium apple brand in Vietnam,” said Edgecombe. “As part of our Asia growth strategy for Envy, we are focused on further growing consumer demand in Vietnam and this MoU with WinCommerce reflects our shared ambition for more consumers to have greater access to delicious, high-quality,

year-round, premium apples.”

Chief executive of WinCommerce, Nguyen Thi Phuong, said the partnership demonstrated the company’s commitment to providing customers with highquality apples.

“At WinMart supermarkets and WinMart+/WiN stores, we prioritise offering a wide variety of options, ensuring that Vietnamese consumers have access to the highest quality products, whether sourced locally or internationally,” she said. “Envy branded apples are becoming increasingly popular and chosen by many consumers, thus demonstrating the tremendous potential of the Vietnamese market.”

BELOW—T&G and WinCommerce sign the MoU in the presence of New Zealand PM Christopher Luxon

The Prime Minister of New Zealand, Christopher Luxon, said the MoU would help boost export growth.

“We have an ambitious goal to double exports by value within the next ten years, and our worldleading food and fibre sector, and the innovation and productivity that underpins it, is critical to delivering this,” he said. “This MoU between T&G and WinCommerce will contribute to realising this goal.”

Edgecombe called Envy one of the “real success stories” of New Zealand’s horticulture sector.

“With 70 per cent of Vietnam’s premium Envy branded apples grown in New Zealand, this MoU will deliver increased export revenue to New Zealand and support the growth of our regional and national economy.”

T&G’s portfolio of apples has been sold in Vietnam for over 15 years, with the company establishing its office in Ho Chi Minh City in 2019. Today, T&G’s apples represent 19 per cent of total apples imported from New Zealand, according to the company. A

Candine closes a strong season in Asia

Ariane-Fuji cross is gaining momentum, particularly in Vietnam, on the back of marketing efforts from Blue Whale as the variety reaches 200 containers in the region.

by Liam O’Callaghan

The 2024/25 Candine apple season has come to a successful conclusion with French cooperative Blue Whale reporting strong results for

the variety in Asia, especially in Vietnam, the leading destination for the variety.

Favourable weather conditions set the season up for success,

with growers reporting excellent quality across the board. The conditions helped to accentuate the apple’s “vibrant flavour and perfect crunch”, according to Benoit Barache, Blue Whale’s marketing manager Asia.

Blue Whale invested significantly in the key market of Vietnam to promote the variety above and below the line this season.

“We partnered with top receivers in retail and wholesale to promote the return of the variety in December 2024,” says Barache.

“The communication plan was followed with the sponsorship of Ho Chi Minh City Marathon before Tet festivities. It was the opportunity to showcase Candine to 15,000 runners and promote with engaging activities for three days.

“At the tail end of the season, Candine was among the star products showcased during Balade en France, where 400,000 visitors could engage with French culture.”

Blue Whale also partnered with WinCommerce and MTV to run a branded booth and a pop-up store for Candine. This season 9 tonnes of fruit were sold at the event, more than double last season’s total of 4 tonnes.

LEFT—Candine was showcased during Balade en France

OPPOSITE—Blue Whale partnered with WinCommerce and MTV to run a Candine pop-up

“We are also delighted to have driven traffic to both channels partnering with our key customers,” says Barache.

“Building a new variety is quite a challenge as we want to guarantee both customers and growers satisfaction to have sustainable growth. Candine has proven to be our hero variety in Asia with Vietnam leading. Other markets also have high potential given the fact that we were elected product of the year in Singapore, and also reached the Philippines and Hong Kong in retail for the first year. We look forward to building Candine even further next year.” A

Candine picks up apple award in Singapore

Candine has scooped an award for fresh apples at Voted Product of the Year Singapore-Malaysia showcasing the progress the apple brand has made in the Asian markets.

“We celebrated Singapore’s most innovative products, chosen by consumers through research carried out by Treetz under the supervision of Deloitte. The product testing is implemented in the research by Try and Review,” the organisers stated on LinkedIn.

“A massive congratulations to our 2025 winners, who have set new standards in their categories. Winning is just the beginning. With the POY seal, these brands will gain more consumer trust, visibility and sales.”

Julien Baumann, regional commercial manager Asia at Blue Whale, was on hand to collect the prize, which marks Candine’s great strides in Asia.

“What an achievement and recognition of the hard work of our growers, packers, sales team, customers and partners!” said Blue Whale’s Mehdi Benaissia.

New Zealand backs Sassy growth in Vietnam

Sassy celebrates new season as New Zealand Prime Minister marks 50 years of diplomatic relations with Vietnam.

by Bree Caggiati

The strong diplomatic relationship between New Zealand and Vietnam was celebrated with an evening of premium food, design and cultural storytelling at the Twilight Flavours event held in Ho Chi Minh City on 27 February.

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Chris Luxon attended the event as part of his official visit to Vietnam which included his participation in the ASEAN Future Forum.

Earlier in the trip Luxon signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chính in Hanoi, marking 50 years of diplomatic relations and elevating Vietnam to one of New Zealand’s most important trade partners.

The Twilight Flavours event also served as a vibrant kick off for the New Zealand-grown Sassy apple where it was featured alongside

some of the country’s top food and beverage brands.

Developed by New Zealand’s Plant and Food Research (PFR) and commercialised by Prevar, Sassy apples first entered the Vietnamese market in 2022.

Next Generation Apples – a collaboration between multi-generational New Zealand-based growers Taylor Corp and Golden Bay Fruit (GBF) – owns the global licensing rights to the brand.

“Sassy apples stole the show,” says GBF marketing director, Eleni Hogg of its feature in the Twilight Flavours event.

“We served them with a caramel cream cheese dip created by a well-known local chef in Ho Chi Minh City – a playful pairing that captured the apple’s crisp texture and vibrant flavour. Feedback from local partners was overwhelmingly positive.”

For GBF, Vietnam is a high-potential market with strong demand for premium, healthy, and fresh products.

“New Zealand is the top supplier of apples to Vietnam and the country makes up a big portion of GBF’s export programme,” Hogg explains. “The Sassy brand continues to build strong momentum in this dynamic market.”

To support this momentum, GBF in-market manager Diep Tran is continuing to build valuable

BELOW—New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Luxon at Twilight Flavours

PHOTO—New Zealand Prime Minister

retail and wholesale partnerships.

During the prime minister’s visit to Vietnam, GBF signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with two of Vietnam’s most prominent fresh produce partners – WinCommerce and Tony Fruit. While not directly part of the official delegation agenda, the timing aligned with the visit and helped reinforce the strategic importance of the Vietnam–New Zealand trade relationship. The MoUs outline collaborative efforts to grow retail sales of New Zealand apples in Vietnam, including marketing support, in-store promotions, and a joint sales target of over 70 containers for the 2025 season.

Season launch celebrations continued in early April where the first full container of Sassy in Hanoi was marked with a series of tasting sessions led by distributor, Phu Nhuan Food (PNF).

“We hosted a tasting session with wholesale customers, many of whom were eager to sample the new-season fruit,” Hogg says.

Tran says these kinds of events often lead to purchase conversion.

“Previously when we conducted in-store sampling in Vietnam we had incredible conversion of sampling to purchase with consumers loving the balanced flavour profile,” Tran says.

GBF will work with PNF to drive Sassy’s expansion nationwide through both wholesale and retail channels.

“We’ve also supported a series of in-store tastings and consumer packaging this season,” Hogg says. “Vietnamese consumers are style-conscious, curious, and responsive to brands with personality – which makes Sassy a natural fit.” A

California promotes “happy healthy” grapes

Lisa Massie, California Table Grape Commission’s director of international marketing for Asia, details promotional plans for the upcoming season.

by Jeff Long

What are the Commission's plans for promoting California table grapes in Asia and particularly Vietnam this year?

Lisa Massie: The California Table Grape Commission has launched a dynamic global marketing campaign aimed at driving demand for California table grapes by motivating retailers and wholesalers to stock and promote them, while also motivating primary shoppers to purchase them. Vietnam is an important market for California grapes with promotable volume from August through November. To motivate Vietnamese primary shoppers, the campaign features in-store sampling, point-of-purchase materials, and targeted retailer digital promotions. Additionally, wholesale and independent market activations ensure widespread visibility throughout Vietnam. Amplifying these efforts, social media advertising extends the campaign reach and encourages shoppers to choose California grapes.

What kind of table grapes do consumers prefer in Vietnam?

LM: In 2024, over 600,000 cartons (8.6kg) of California table grapes were shipped to Vietnam. Top California grape varieties in Vietnam included: Autumncrisp (Sugrathrityfive), Sweet Globe (IFG

Ten), Autumn Royal, Candy Snaps (IFG Twenty-one), and Ivory (Sheegene-2).

How does the Commission plan to reinforce California table grapes’ standing as a premium product?

LM: The message of the global marketing campaign is ‘Happy, Healthy Grapes from California’, and has three focus areas: share, focusing on sharing grapes during

BELOW—The California Table Grape Commission campaign in Vietnam involves in-store activations

holidays and celebrations; snack, focusing on the myriad of ways to snack on grapes; and add, focusing on adding grapes to recipes as a signature ingredient. The marketing campaign strategically showcases the exceptional quality, health benefits, and versatility of California grapes. Backed by an extensive library of engaging creative content, delicious recipes, and health research, the campaign delivers powerful messaging that inspires primary shoppers to choose California grapes with confidence. A

Washington apples hit the road in Vietnam

From roadshows to mini trucks, the Washington Apple Commission is using a wide range of promotional activities to engage Vietnamese consumers.

by Liam O’Callaghan

The Washington Apple Commission (WAC) has implemented a comprehensive marketing campaign in Vietnam reaching consumers across a range of channels and in a variety of locations in the key Asian market.

The most recent activity was a Washington Apple Coastal Roadshow held in Da Nang over three days. WAC spokesperson Jennie Strong says microinfluencers from Da Nang helped promote engagement.

“There was a branded Washington apple mini truck visiting all three locations from 10-13 April in Da Nang,” says Strong.

“Fresh Washington apple slices and apple soda samples were handed out and beach-goers could participate in various fun activities including minigames, a lucky-draw and fun giveaways.”

Earlier in the year, WAC celebrated Tet with an e-commerce lucky draw programme, which saw WAC partner with Grab to promote the draw, giving away gift baskets.

“A mini site was created where consumers could submit their Washington apple in-store or online purchase receipts for a chance to spin a wheel and win prizes. Three high-profile KOLs highlighted the lucky draw programme and held their own mini-giveaway on their own platforms in conjunction with the lucky draw,” says Strong.

WAC Vietnam also participated in the Food and Hospitality Tradeshow in Hanoi in March with a Cosmic Crisp booth, featuring daily cooking demonstrations and tastings.

ABOVE—WAC implemented multiple promotional activities across the season OPPOSITE—KOLs and influencers helped to engage consumers

Northwest Cherries targets Vietnam

Keith Hu, Northwest Cherry Growers director of international operations, is optimistic for a positive season in Vietnam with enduser focused promotional activities planned for the Northwest Cherries (NWC) marketing campaign.

“We will collaborate with key NWC retailers to push sales by conducting in-store samplings, merchandising supports and implement NWC roadshows with select supermarkets,” says Hu.

“We will work with main importers and wholesalers to advertise and sell NWC on their social media channels. We’ll partner with key livestreaming influencers to sell and advertise NWC. Targeted cities are Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Da Nang.”

Over the course of the season WAC hosted two retail roadshows, one in DecemberJanuary, highlighting Washington Apple Week, and the second from February to March. The roadshows visited 33 KingBee stores and influencers were used to highlight the roadshow and its locations.

“A booth, with designs inspired by a fruit stall were set up in these stores, including an apple sampling area. The tagline ‘Live Healthy, Love Life’ was prominently featured along with a backdrop of fresh and vibrant apples,” says Strong.

“Brief cooking demonstrations were conducted, showcasing simple and delicious Washington apple recipes and educating shop-goers on the versatility of Washington

apples in culinary applications.

“Participants could take part in an apple tasting challenge. They would taste several varieties of Washington apples and guess the types based on the leaflet information handed out. They would receive a small prize for joining the challenge.”

During Washington Apple Week, WAC also held a homecook contest in collaboration with Esheep Kitchen Family.

“Esheep is the most popular homecook and homecare platform on Facebook in Vietnam. The homecook contest was designed to directly encourage consumers to interact with Washington apples. We highlighted the contest with three high-profile KOLs, two

US blueberries see growth

Haiying Zhang, US Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) director of global business development, says Vietnam is a growing and promising market for the industry, with fresh blueberries accounting for 85 per cent of exports.

“In 2024, Vietnam imported 200,841lb (91 tonnes) of US blueberries – a 64 per cent increase over 2023,” says Zhang.

To support this growth, USHBC has implemented a comprehensive marketing programme centred on four key pillars.

“Retail promotion including in-store sampling, pointof-sale materials, and online digital campaigns are used to build visibility and drive sales,” says Zhang.

“With consumer outreach, we e-connect with consumers mainly through digital platforms, including USHBC-owned and partner social media channels, along with influencer collaborations.

“We use foodservice and manufacturing partnerships to develop menus and new products utilising US blueberries in various formats.

“Finally, there is trade engagement. We exhibited at various trade shows and conducted educational seminars to inspire trade professionals to use US blueberries as a premium ingredient in their offerings.”

food content creators, two bloggers, and 30 microinfluencers,” says Strong.

“Participants could submit creative Washington apple recipes in four categories, competing for fun and desirable prizes. Winners were announced on social media.” A

Chilean exporters set sights on Vietnamese market

Kiwifruit and blueberries next products in line to secure market access.

by Maura Maxwell

Chile had exported more than 3,000 tonnes of fruit to Vietnam in 2024/25 as of early March, an increase of 133 per cent on the year-earlier period, according to Frutas de Chile.

Cherries made up 94 per cent of shipments and table grapes the remaining 6 per cent. Together with apples, they are the three products that currently have access to the market.

Miguel Canala-Echeverría, general manager of Frutas de Chile, says efforts are focused on negotiating access for fresh kiwifruit and improving the entry conditions for cherries.

In the case of kiwifruit, he says the sector is awaiting a visit by

Efforts are focused on negotiating access for fresh kiwifruit and improving the entry conditions for cherries

inspectors from the Plant Protection Department (PPD) of Vietnam, which is scheduled for April, to certify compliance with the protocol in orchards and packhouses.

After kiwifruit, Canala-Echeverría says the next fruit in line for market access is blueberries. “A visit to Chile by PPD inspectors is being coordinated with the Agricultural and Livestock Service for November or December, so they can see the production and export process of this fruit on the ground,” he explains.

Another focus for the sector is to improve the

entry conditions of fresh cherries, whose shipments are currently only authorised by sea because they must undergo cold treatment. A proposal to allow air exports is currently being analysed by the Vietnamese authorities, CanalaEcheverría says.

In July 2024, Frutas de Chile president, Iván Marambio, and representatives from the Chilean embassy and government authorities in Chile, visited Vietnam as part of efforts to further understanding of the market and promote collaboration between the two countries.

With a population of almost 100mn, of which 61.4 per cent is under the age of 35 and 30 per cent lives in cities, Vietnam is a highly attractive market for Chilean fruit exporters.

According to the World Bank, Vietnam’s GDP in 2023 was US$429.72bn, 5.05 per cent higher than in the previous year, and GDP per capita stood at US$4,346.8. This placed it in the group of countries with the highest economic growth in the region. A

LEFT—Frutas de Chile visits Vietnam in 2024

Vietnam takes title as China’s top banana supplier

Philippines has been usurped by Vietnam as the leading banana supplier to China.

by Liam O’Callaghan

The Philippines’ multidecade position as the top banana supplier to China has been usurped, with Vietnam taking top spot in 2024.

According to data released by the International Trade Centre, Vietnam was the leading supplier of bananas to China last year sending 625,166 tonnes, up from 505,633 in 2023.

The Philippines continued a downward trend in 2024 exporting only 463,306 tonnes of bananas to China, its lowest volume in 15 years and down from 685,869 tonnes the year prior.

It’s been a rapid decline for

the Philippines which exported over 1mn tonnes of bananas to China in 2018 and 2019 and peaked at 70 per cent market share in 2017. China has imported an average of 1.67mn tonnes a year since 2017.

Vietnam’s share of China’s banana market has risen from 1 per cent just ten years ago to 37 per cent in 2024.

According to a report from VnExpress, Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade says unfavourable weather and diseases have reduced the Philippines’ banana output and pushed up prices allowing other exporters to claim a bigger share.

Vietnam’s reliable quality and proximity to China – reducing logistics costs – have also contributed and retailers in the region are making the switch.

According to VnExpress, Yuichiro Shiotani, chief executive of Aeon Topvalu Vietnam, said at a forum in April 2024 the pan-Asian retailer was purchasing more Vietnamese bananas. He said the retailer had

replaced Philippine and Taiwanese bananas with Vietnamese imports at its Hong Kong outlets. He said sustainability was an important factor and proximity of supply played a role in this.

Vietnamese banana exports have maintained momentum in 2025, with customs data showing bananas were the country’s second most valuable fruit export through the first two months of the year behind dragon fruit.

Both fruits have jumped ahead of durian which saw a 69 per cent drop from the same period in 2024.

Dang Phuc Nguyen, general secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, told VnExpress the main reason was stricter quality requirements in China.

China has tightened inspection for Auramine O, a carcinogen, resulting in many shipments being held up at customs, and longer processing times. Some Vietnamese companies have diverted supply locally out of caution, accepting lower prices on the domestic market. A

LEFT—Vietnam exported 625,166 tonnes of bananas to China in 2024

PHIL JOHNSTONE Strategy & growth manager – international development unit, Plant & Food Research

PFR passion fruit project takes shape

Ayear on from its launch, New Zealand’s flagship project to support agricultural development in Vietnam is making great progress. The NZ$6.24m (US$3.72m) ‘Vietnam Climate-Smart Fruit Value Chain project’, known as VietFruit, was launched by the prime ministers of Vietnam and New Zealand in Wellington in March 2024.

The five-year passion fruit project has Plant & Food Research working with the Southern Horticulture Research Institute (SOFRI) and the Northern

It also has a focus to work with ethnic minorities and promote women-led SMEs and farmers within the passion fruit value chain.

To date the project’s scientists have assessed disease and climate change impact challenges, begun field trials and conducted postharvest loss assessments along the value chain. Constraints facing

Mountainous Agriculture & Forestry Science Institute (NOMASFI) - along with officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the provincial Department of Agriculture & Rural Development and district Agricultural Extension Centres.

VietFruit is a value chain development project and as such is working with private sector partners throughout the chain from SMEs at district and provincial level, through to the largest processors of passion fruit in Vietnam. This project aims to deliver increased productivity and resilience of the passion fruit production system; improved post-harvest and processing technologies; and sector-wide training that benefits smallholder farmers and businesses.

the passion fruit sector have been assessed, and a variety of passion fruit growing solutions are being trialed. These include different trellis systems and ways to increase fruit yields and quality. In this work, Plant & Food Research is drawing on its decade-long record of success with a major dragon fruit project in Vietnam.

The project has formed farmer innovation groups as an extension vehicle and training sessions are now getting underway. Groups

of about ten farmers will meet monthly in several provinces. A discussion topic is set, for example: pruning, nutrition, water or disease management. Interested farmers will volunteer to try a demonstration of the innovation on their farm and, in the following weeks, others will come and view progress and results.

It’s an innovative way to ensure the project’s practices remain relevant to the farmers in each cluster. It also produces feedback to refine and improve what is being developed.

Project learnings to date include our understanding of virus and disease issues, and how the vines grow and flourish in the two distinct geographies we are working in.

Another packaging trial is also underway. Post-harvest is a key focus, and the project aims to minimise fruit damage during transportation, using solutions that are available in the market and not environmentally damaging.

Prototype washing and processing tables are also under development to help improve sanitation, hygiene and postharvest practices in the SMEs at the village level. These will soon be built and trialed.

Overall, it’s an exciting time for the Vietnamese passion fruit sector, with the country recently gaining market access to Australia. A

ABOVE—VietFruit is working to boost the productivity of passion fruit orchards

Helping Vietnamese growers succeed

Siebe van Wijk, director and founder of The Fruit Republic, shares how the Succeeds project is helping to develop Vietnam’s citrus sector.

by Liam O’Callaghan

Can you share an overview of the Succeeds project?

Siebe van Wijk: The Succeeds project aims to make the citrus sector of the Mekong Delta more sustainable, efficient and profitable for the 150,000 citrus smallholders. It does this through improved farm management, efficient and sustainable soil nutrient management and access to finance programmes.

The Succeeds project is a public private partnership between Dutch and Vietnamese companies, a Dutch NGO, a Vietnamese Knowledge Institute, Vietnamese provincial government and the Dutch government. The companies

Kloosterboer and The Fruit Republic work closely with Rabo Foundation, Can Tho University and Long An Province to transform the citrus sector in the Mekong Delta.

What are some of the milestones you have achieved since you first began?

SVW: The Succeeds project has hit a number of milestones across its key goals. Two of these include developing the best farmer extension system in Asia and providing farmers with tailored soil nutrient management advice.

The Fruit Republic’s fruit production manager, Jacques

LEFT—The Succeeds project has helped improve farming practices in Vietnam

PHOTO—The Fruit Republic

van Zyl, has taken the lead on this front. He’s an experienced citrus farm and nursery manager from South Africa and we have developed a team of Vietnamese agronomists to support him. Together they are now setting up three demonstration farms and the first professional citrus nursery in the Mekong Delta. The team and field QC staff of The Fruit Republic have also helped citrus farmers prepare for Linking Environment and Farming (Leaf) Marque certification. Once complete these will be the first growers in Asia to be certified by the environmental assurance system.

Another goal is creating an enabling environment and the Succeeds project has been raising awareness among Vietnamese consumers about the importance and value of buying sustainably farmed citrus from the Mekong Delta.

We have also been working with the Vietnamese government on permission to import improved citrus genetic material such as rootstocks, registering crop protection products for citrus in Vietnam and gaining new market access. Recently Vietnamese pomelo has gained access to Korea and the US, and to New Zealand for pomelo and limes. Thanks to this market access, The Fruit Republic has already developed a successful export programme for limes and pomelo to New Zealand, with Korea to follow soon.

Providing access to finance is another goal and we are preparing to help 200 growers access loans to invest in required infrastructure for GlobalGAP and Leaf compliance, and for tools and services which will be needed for better farm management.

What are some of the changes you have made in Vietnam?

SVW: We have been able to introduce a whole set of measures ranging from improvements in farm management, and we are developing a professional citrus nursery sector, which previously did not exist in Vietnam.

We are introducing a large range of improved farming practices. For example, we have introduced very cost effective and environmentally friendly solutions to manage snails in pomelo farms. We have also taught growers the importance of Ph in the water which they use in their spray tanks, and how to improve the Ph levels to the right level with limestone. This has been a simple and cheap way to help growers improve the effectiveness of pesticides. A

Clever kiwis: inside the high-tech evolution of New Zealand’s iconic fruit export

As the country’s kiwifruit business continues its recent impressive growth, what seems clear is that investment in a whole array of new technologies is about to transform the industry, and has the potential to take it to even greater heights.

by Mike Knowles

In a business where tradition often prevails over innovation, New Zealand’s kiwifruit industry is positioning itself as a tech pioneer.

The past decade has witnessed phenomenal commercial growth in this corner of the fresh produce sector, but at the same time a quiet metamorphosis is reshaping its local and international supply chains.

Behind the scenes, the industry has made a bold technological pivot. Zespri, the country’s single-desk export marketer, has orchestrated a comprehensive digital overhaul that now extends beyond its smart

headquarters in Mount Maunganui, in New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty, into the surrounding orchards and markets worldwide.

It’s a bold but necessary move. The company has seen demand for its fruit soar in recent years, driven mainly by expanded production of its yellow-fleshed variety SunGold. And this season, another record crop puts it on track to exceed last year’s record global revenue and top NZ$4.5bn in 2025. But with that success comes a greater need to modernise and streamline, especially in today’s highly demanding and difficult trading environment. »

ABOVE—Zespri’s international headquarters in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand LEFT—SunGold kiwifruit on sale in China

Time for a refresh

At the heart of this transformation is an ambitious project called Horizon, which has three clear aims: to scale for new growth, to reduce risk, and to secure productivity gains. “We needed modern, scalable platforms,” explains Dave Scullin, Zespri’s chief digital officer. “Our industry was operating on systems that were 20 years old and designed for an industry that’s way smaller than what we are now.”

After careful consideration, Zespri switched its enterprise resource planning to SAP’s S/4Hana system. This went live in November 2022 in what Scullin describes as a “big bang”, a first round of replacement that included off-shore supply chain, finance, business planning, in-market inspections, and customer claims. “It was a challenge,” Scullin admits. “We spent probably 12-18 months just embedding it and fine-tuning it – it was a lot to take on.”

A second wave of changes now underway focuses on grower applications, on-shore supply chain management, and sustainability reporting. Perhaps most groundbreaking is a move towards more useful and more immediate business intelligence. For example, the new system will automatically calculate carbon impacts throughout its supply chain – information needed to satisfy new reporting regulations.

“We’re now able to observe how our business is performing in real time,” says Scullin. This opens up new possibilities to feed that information into cutting-edge applications, from instant translation of foreign invoices to AI-powered analysis of sales data and market research reports. “Historically, it would have taken a lot of time to consolidate KPIs into

spreadsheets, with many people in different markets. We want to look as it happens, to tune our supply chain and optimise it on a day-today basis.”

Packer’s progress

The tech transformation extends beyond Zespri’s own operations and into New Zealand’s postharvest sector, which has seen significant capital investment over the past decade. Just down the road in Tauriko, Mount Pack & Cool (Mpac) has seen major growth since 2018 and, as Zespri’s thirdlargest supplier, exemplifies this trend towards tech enhancement. Its state-of-the-art facility was completed in 2022 and has room to store a staggering 10mn trays of kiwifruit, as well capacity to handle over 30mn trays annually.

“There has been a real

commercialisation of the postharvest sector over the last decade,” explains Brendon Lee, Mpac’s managing director. “It’s big business now, and that’s been sped up by Covid and the labour shortages. But also we’re just dealing with such bigger volumes of fruit, particularly with SunGold where there is quite a peak and we don’t have a long time to harvest it.”

Efficiency was the guiding principle behind the facility’s design, he says. “We looked at the product flows and how we could minimise movement of the fruit as well as people. We were trying to get the most optimum quality outcome.”

The facility features extensive automation across its two Maf Roda and Compac packing lines. “We leaned into that heavily throughout Covid, which was

RIGHT—Bart Challis, chief commercial officer at the Kiwifruit Breeding Centre

BELOW—Trial production of kiwiberries at KBC’s Te Puke research station

OPPOSITE TOP & BOTTOM—Mount Pack & Cool’s state-of-the-art facility in Tauriko

a really tough time in terms of getting labour,” Lee continues. “So we looked at every part of the operation on those packing lines and looked to automate as much as we could. Everything is now pretty much as automated as you can get.”

That strategy has apparently reduced the company’s labour requirements by 50 per cent, critical in a country where the minimum wage is relatively high at around NZ$23.50 per hour. “You build more resilience into your business, because you’re less reliant on this huge wave of seasonal people,” Lee concludes. “We still need 500-600 people every year. But, if you’re not trying to do a thousand plus, it makes it more manageable.”

Greater complexity

For Zespri, innovation extends along the entire value chain, from biosecurity and crop protection, through packhouse automation, to logistics and marketing. Bryan Parkes is the group’s head of innovation acceleration, and oversees its US$2mn per-annum fund Zag, which invests in startups and technologies that could eventually benefit the kiwifruit industry.

He believes these improvements will filter through to all areas of the business, from artificial ‘noses’ that sniff out quality issues far earlier than any human, to carbon sequestration that simultaneously aids crop development. He predicts a more complex and complicated supply chain in future, but also one where technology will be used far more carefully to make better decisions.

“I expect in 20 years’ time, we’ll have a whole lot more information flying in from orchards, from remote sensing, and hopefully going into a central pool of information,” he suggests. “Then, using the tool of the day – we probably call it AI today – you’ll be able to take that information and extract more value to make better decisions.”

LEFT—Zespri’s chief digital officer, Dave Scullin, led its recent transformation

MIDDLE—Bryan Parkes is the group’s head of innovation acceleration

BOTTOM—Rachel Depree, executive officer for sustainability at Zespri

Innovation will also feed into sustainability efforts, he insists. “Take something as simple as we want to increase the yield of kiwifruit. If you do that with the same input, it has a material impact on your sustainability footprint, because you’ve now got, let’s say, 50 per cent more yield with the same input. Water footprint goes down, carbon footprint goes down, and that’s a great sustainability output as well as an economic one.”

Breeding success

A few miles further east at the Kiwifruit Breeding Centre in Te Puke, the epicentre of New Zealand’s kiwifruit production, sustainability is a key focus of the work overseen by chief commercial officer Bart Challis. The joint venture was established in 2021 by Zespri and government-owned research institute Plant & Food Research, and its goal is to use any technology available to accelerate the development of varieties with improved taste, appearance, yield, and disease resistance.

Several have reached precommercial trials. These include new green varieties that offer higher yields in lower winterchill environments, along with red, yellow, and kiwiberry types. “What we’ve tried to do is distil the delivery of new cultivars into a number of strategic priorities,” Challis explains. “So that’s looking at things like digital and data, looking at leading-edge technologies, and looking at an optimised portfolio. Underneath that, we’ve got this focus on breeding faster, breeding better, and breeding more. That’s our ethos.”

Challis believes that using data, predictive analytics, and machine learning could open the door to an enormously exciting and profitable new chapter for the kiwifruit business. “This could potentially allow our research to tap into 30 years of breeding history that includes millions of individual cultivars and their recorded outcomes,” he explains, noting that such information could make the development of new varieties much faster. and might potentially be combined with advanced breeding techniques like gene editing.

Climate resilience is also a key focus for that breeding effort, as Rachel Depree, Zespri’s executive officer for sustainability, notes. “If shoppers are going to continue to have high-quality kiwifruit in future, then we need to understand those climate impacts. So that’s part of the strategy. We’re evolving our varieties on the basis of taste and demand anyway, but since we know the climate will be different, we also need to make sure we have the right product traits for that too.”

For Parkes, the goal is to bring together different technological strands and strengthen the industry’s overall fabric. “If you combine new genetics, different environments, and new management techniques, you can fill gaps and use different cultivars to get 12-month supply,” he says.

As a result of that tech revolution, New Zealand’s kiwifruit sector is setting a pace for the rest of the fruit business to follow. And by turning a whole array of new systems to its advantage, it looks set to maintain its market dominance for many years to come. A

T&G annual results point to positive years ahead

Leading apple marketer will expand its in-market presence in Asia as it expects a significant increase in production in the coming years.

by Bree Caggiati

In March, T&G Global released its annual results for the 2024 calendar year, which the company called an “improvement in performance” following two years in recovery from the impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle.

“While our results are not where we want them to be, it is pleasing to see the momentum in the business, particularly in apples, which is the engine room for our growth,” T&G Global chair, Benedikt Mangold, said in a release.

Apples push company growth

According to the report, T&G recorded a full-year loss before tax of NZ$6.8mn for the year compared to a loss before tax of NZ$64.2mn in 2023. Its operating profit reached NZ$12.7mn in 2024 compared to a loss of NZ$45.6mn the year before.

The report said the company was “on the edge of realising the performance uplift” and it expects to see the results of investments in the next few years.

“We're now largely complete in terms of our investment cycle, and in the years ahead we’ll see a lot of the growth come through,” T&G Global chief executive Gareth Edgecombe tells Asiafruit.

He says the company’s capital expenditure is down

LEFT—T&G’s newest brand Joli has attracted grower interest in the US

OPPOSITE—

Kingston says the Envy brand has a high retention rate

on historical averages and its orchard investments have now started to come on in terms of full production.

“We’ll see relatively consistent, large step ups in volume each year for the next few years,” Edgecombe explains. “As the volume comes on, we'll see strong top line growth and stronger bottom line growth because of the leverage of those fixed investments.”

Increased production isn’t always a positive in the fresh produce business, but Edgecombe is more than confident the market will receive the extra volumes.

“The global premium apple market continues to grow, particularly in emerging Asian markets,” he says. “Our growth strategy is supported by a framework to unlock that growth through an expanded presence in key global markets and across retail and wholesale channels.”

The company brought on Shane Kingston as its chief operating officer apples towards the end of 2024 to manage this framework.

“There's a lot of work going into really understanding white space opportunity in the apples category,” Kingston says. “We've got 11 in-market teams focused on apples, and their role is to create a much closer intimacy and connectivity to the market and to our end consumers.”

Edgecombe says this in-market insight is key to T&G’s growth strategy.

“We found that we can accelerate and protect growth by having teams on the ground, working with retailers to build those brand franchises and grow consumer demand,” he says. “That's been a deliberate strategy.”

The company is set to expand this in-market presence this year as its sets up a new team in another key Asian market.

On the ground, Kingston says T&G’s brands experience high retention rates, so connecting and engaging with more consumers is a continued focus.

“Once somebody buys an Envy apple, as a good example, they typically stay with the brand and that's something we must continue to build upon,” he says.

To do this, the company has committed to quality out-of-store brand awareness campaigns to enhance visibility among potential consumers.

“We're quite targeted on social media,” Kingston says. “We're targeting the consumer that we believe has a natural affiliation to what we're offering.”

He says sampling is then a critical means to fulfil that brand promise.

“We can message through social media but showing up and delivering on that brand promise in-store is so important.”

And that requires an integrated approach.

“Our growers continuing to grow the best quality crop possible, our ability to manage post-harvest brilliantly, and manage supply chain to markets around the world, followed by excellent execution in-store and providing shoppers with a great experience – all of

those play a very significant role in us continuing to ensure we've got a secure and sustainable future,” Kingston explains.

Cost of living challenges

Elsewhere in the business, T&G’s apples’ performance helped offset a difficult year for T&G Fresh. While the New Zealand and Australian-based business saw ideal production, low consumer demand as households adjusted to a higher cost of living and an uncertain economy affected sales.

T&G Fresh revenue was 6 per cent lower at NZ$455.3mn compared to NZ$484.3mn in the prior year. This contributed to a 63 per cent reduction in T&G Fresh’s operating profit which came in at NZ$3.6mn.

Edgecombe says that in a tough year, T&G Fresh still made positive progress.

“We broadened our portfolio, acquiring the Hinton’s stonefruit business and leasing their stonefruit orchards in Central Otago, and nearly doubling our Australian blueberry operations. All this work leaves us in good shape to take advantage of improving conditions in the year ahead.”

Positive market pricing

T&G’s IP-based business VentureFruit increased its revenue by 44 per cent to NZ$13mn in 2024 and reduced its operating loss to NZ$4.3mn.

“VentureFruit’s royalties from sales benefitted from the positive market pricing achieved with Envy and Jazz branded apples at a consumer level,” Edgecombe says.

“The business was also successful in securing license contracts for additional Envy plantings in the US and China, which will enhance future revenue.”

VentureFruit also made good headway with T&G’s newest premium apple brand, Joli.

“Joli has attracted good grower interest in the US, while pilot plantings in Europe will support the brand’s growth in that region,” Edgecombe adds.

In New Zealand, the first commercial plantings of Joli in the South Island are set to begin this year following a new agreement with FarmRight, the New Zealand Superannuation Fund’s rural investment manager, to plant 125ha in Canterbury.

“We’re very excited to be working with FarmRight to expand horticulture in the region, while at the same time diversifying the growing footprint of T&G’s premium apple varieties,” Kingston says.

“Joli is an outstanding premium apple [with] a flavour profile that consumers across Asia are actively seeking out, and we have customers and consumers eagerly awaiting the first commercial Joli fruit in 2027.” A

Mr Apple expands presence in South-East Asia with Dazzle campaign

New Zealand apple marketer partners with in-market teams on series of in-store and online marketing campaigns.

by Bree Caggiati

Vietnam has long been one of Mr Apple’s main export markets.

Across the country, the New Zealand apple marketer’s Royal Gala and Queen varieties are widely available, and its IP brands Dazzle and Posy are becoming an increasingly popular choice for Vietnamese consumers.

“The Vietnamese consumer has high standards for apples,” says Mr Apple marketing manager, Jo Turner. “Traditionally very large apples have sold well for sharing, but we’ve seen a recent shift to smaller apples for individual snacking.”

Earlier this year, Mr Apple signed two Memorandum of Understanding agreements with long-term partners in Vietnam to

further grow the premium apple sector in this market.

“Our partners in-market are incredibly important to us and together we’re developing plans to bring the New Zealand apple season to life in-store,” Turner explains.

Mr Apple will support its retail programmes with in-store sampling and point-of-sale materials to grow sales value and brand awareness in Vietnam and other markets across South-East Asia and Greater China this season.

“In-store sampling is a great way to tell the brand story and to provide an experience for the shopper. We have high confidence in our apples and being able to back them with sampling makes a huge difference to momentum in-market.”

Ahead of Mid-Autumn Festival, Mr Apple will prepare festive packs for gifting.

“With a bit more fruit and such a great quality year, it’s nice to have a long run up to Mid-Autumn Festival,” Turner says. “We will have sampling through August and September in our key markets to drive momentum – and of course some beautiful festive packs for gifting.”

Off the back of successful campaigns in Greater China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Singapore and Indonesia, Mr Apple will also work with its partners to expand its Dazzle campaign in Thailand this year.

“It’s a discerning and competitive market, but Dazzle has been well received over the last few years and it’s time to dial up the activity,” Turner says. “Thailand has really bounced back from the challenges of Covid and subsequent dip in tourism [and] our long-term partners in-market are looking to try new things.”

Dazzle will hold a wholesale market launch and be included in a number of retail programmes this season as well as the NZTE Made with Care event in June.

Mr Apple will also establish Thai-based social media channels to grow its in-market presence and reputation as a premium apple grower and distributor. A

ABOVE LEFT—Dazzle is becoming an increasingly popular choice in Vietnam

ABOVE RIGHT—Mr Apple has released new bucket-style packaging for Dazzle

ABOVE—Joy Wing Mau and Rockit celebrate the tenth anniversary of their partnership RIGHT—Rockit expects to export 230mn apples this year

Rockit and Joy Wing Mau celebrate anniversary

New Zealand apple brand and Chinese distributor commemorate decadelong partnership and look forward to future collaboration.

by Liam O’Callaghan

Representatives of Rockit Global and Joy Wing Mau Group gathered on 10 April as the two businesses celebrated ten years of partnership. Rockit Global chief executive Grant McBeath, Greater China GM Cullen Zhang and general manager global marketing Julian Smith spoke to Asiafruit about the significance of the partnership and what this season and the future holds.

What does the partnership with Joy Wing Mau Group mean to Rockit?

Grant McBeath: Joy Wing Mau Group (JWM) is our largest distributor globally and we are proud to be achieving this significant milestone with our ten-year anniversary. JWM has been instrumental in growing our business – from believing in our small seed of an idea, to helping us to take on the world, with China

export volumes increasing almost 160 per cent over the past five years.

Our partnership has also enabled the Rockit brand to achieve significant growth, awareness and positive brand sentiment. Unprompted and prompted brand awareness have grown 18 per cent and 22 per cent respectively in the last four years.

JWM has helped Rockit to deepen its distribution in the Chinese market, creating new sales growth through its strong omnichannel sales network. We have been able to grow our product offering with JWM – whose support enabled China to be the

first global market to launch our family pack.

Our relationship with JWM has been a strong enabler for our world-class brand partnerships (with Universal Products and Experiences for example), through their support with clever creative marketing work, and by allowing us to sell our campaigns into retail and wholesale environments.

We look forward to continuing to grow the Rockit brand together in China in 2025. This will be a key year for us as we bring to market new products, new consumer occasions and new opportunities for Chinese consumers to experience the Rockit taste difference.

How is the 2025 season looking for Rockit?

Cullen Zhang: The 2025 harvest started early and fast with an amazing piece of fruit. Alongside our innovative brand, we’re looking forward to a strong year with over 230mn high-quality, premium Rockit apples forecast to be

exported to our global markets this year.

We have a strong and consistent crop, showing outstanding colour and a delightfully sweet and crisp taste that our global consumers love. We aim to meet our growth targets through our premium product, and a refreshed sales and marketing strategy that focuses on our shopper experience and distribution to help deliver a good return for our growers.

With a great proposition and a world-class product and brand, we’re excited about what lies ahead of us for 2025.

What is your global strategy to drive new consumer demand to meet your growth targets?

Julian Smith: We are launching a new global marketing platform

with a new value proposition and an occasion-based marketing strategy that will bring new categories for our product to market. This includes our snack pack (for impulse purchases), daily pack (high frequency consumption), family pack (sharing moments) and gift packs (festivals and always-on gifting).

These new product categories, including the differentiated size and taste profile of Rockit apple, will be communicated to new consumers looking for healthy snacking choices for their lifestyle occasions through a new global marketing campaign – ‘Rockit Every Little Moment’.

We will launch our new product marketing and consumerled campaign across all global touchpoints, together with our well-loved, cheeky brand character,

Rocki for high sell through and consumer appeal.

How will you tailor your marketing in China to support the global strategy?

JS: We’re looking forward to launching a localised version of our new value proposition in China this month. This focuses on family audiences with strong consumer appeal of a healthy lifestyle and will be communicated to consumers across online and offline channels.

This has seen us recently bring two top KOLs to New Zealand to experience and tell the journey of Rockit apple, from the orchard to end consumer, through collaboration with the Little Red Book platform. Fifteen middle-tier KOLs and 2,000-plus user generated content creators will also bring the value proposition to life.

We can’t wait to launch our own brand character, Rocki this season across all our channels, which includes a TV commercial that will be showcased through out-of-home media in a high-end residential area, across eight major cities to reach 17mn unique visitors. A

New Zealand celebrates record cherry season

Data from the completed 2024/25 cherry season shows New Zealand exported more than 5,000 tonnes for the first time.

by Liam O’Callaghan

New Zealand set a new export record during its 2024/25 cherry season, shipping 5,070 tonnes, topping the previous high of 4,020 tonnes set in 2017/18.

The season wrapped up in February, and according to a report from the Otago Daily Times, data from Stats NZ and Infometrics put the final export volume at a record level.

Central Otago Fruit Growers Association chairman Kris Robb, of Earnscleugh, said the record

export was a “well-needed boost” for growers.

“There’s still a lot of blocks to come into full production and I’d hope for bigger and better things in the years to come,” Robb said.

The annual average price for the season was NZ$24.44 per kg, according to Infometrics, which growers welcomed.

“The export price is certainly where we need to be, as far as returns go, to make the industry sustainable,” Robb said.

Taiwan was the largest export

BELOW—Growers were boosted by record export volumes and strong returns

market, accounting for 46 per cent of volume. China followed with 15 per cent, down from 19 per cent the year prior, although total volume remained relatively stable. Vietnam came in third position with 11 per cent.

Speaking in a newsletter before the season concluded Summerfruit New Zealand chief executive Dean Smith said the domestic market saw growth.

“The season has been bountiful, and quality has been favourable but conditions in some areas have been challenging with those growers having to work hard to keep fruit clean and nurture it to maturity,” said Smith.

“The domestic market has enjoyed a consistent supply of good fruit, and cherry exports have surpassed 5,000 tonnes for the first time – a milestone for our industry.” A

Kiwi Crunch expands into cherries

New Zealand apple and pear grower-marketer acquires 132ha from Cherri Global to provide year-round fruit volumes to its Asia markets.

by Bree Caggiati

Kiwi Crunch, a leading name in New Zealand’s apple and pear industry, has expanded its portfolio to now include cherries, with the purchase of 132ha of cherry orchards late last year.

In October 2024, the growermarketer purchased the Central Otago operation from one of New Zealand’s largest cherry growers, Cherri Global, which was later placed in liquidation.

“When the cherry opportunity arose, it made sense to pursue it,” says Wade Glass, Kiwi Crunch executive director.

“We already have an established brand with loyal customers to leverage, and the counter seasonality of the two products

means that now we can sell our brand all year round.”

Kiwi Crunch currently markets around 2mn cartons of apples and pears annually with around 1.2mn grown in Hawke’s Bay and the balance out of Central Otago. Glass says the cherry orchards proximity to Kiwi Crunch’s Central Otago operations was an added benefit.

“A large portion of our apple volume comes from our orchards in Central Otago, some of which are less than 15 minutes’ drive from the cherry orchards we acquired,” Glass explains.

“During the cherry harvest in January, we were able to utilise staff from our pipfruit operations to help get the cherries picked at peak ripeness, and vice versa during the apple harvest. It’s a unique advantage we now have.”

Kiwi Crunch expects to harvest over 800 tonnes of cherries in the 2025/26 season across its range of planted varieties including Kordia, Staccato, Regina, Sweetheart, Lapins and Rainier. Kiwi Crunch general manager for Asia sales, James Bennett, expects this to

increase as the plantings mature.

“Our volumes will increase significantly year-on-year, [and] we will double the current volume within two years’ time,” he says.

Kiwi Crunch’s first cherry harvest fell only one month after it purchased the orchards in October, leading the company to utilise third party exporters for ease. However, Bennett says it will shift in-house ahead of the 2025/26 season.

“We will be handling the sales and logistics functions in-house for the coming cherry season,” he says. “We’re looking forward to establishing cherry sales programmes with our existing customers, and welcoming new ones on board too.

“This will be an advantage for us and our customers because it means we can be their one-stopshop, fulfilling 100 per cent of their requirements for New Zealand cherries.”

The company is currently targeting markets in Taiwan, China and Vietnam but will look to develop secondary markets in Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore as more volume comes online. A

LEFT—Kiwi Crunch purchased the orchards from Cherri Global in October 2024

Poor weather delays California cherry season

by Jeff Long

PHOTO—California Cherries

Erratic spring weather and two successive years of heavy production appear to have combined to produce a smaller, and somewhat delayed, 2025 California cherry crop.

“Picking for the very early varieties is expected to start around the end of April, as usual,” notes Washington State-based Dave Martin of Stemilt Growers. “The Tioga variety will come off first and we’ll stumble along as an industry through the second week of May when volume should start to pick up.”

However, Mark Calder of Primavera Marketing is concerned about a delay in peak volumes.

“The weather was pretty (volatile) during the bloom period throughout the state,” Calder says. “That could push peak volume into the third week of May, which is a concern because we may miss Memorial Day promotions in the East and Midwestern states.”

Just how much fruit California growers will have for sale this year is still unknown. It is all but certain, however, that production will be below the 9.8mn carton average of the last two seasons as the

LEFT & BELOW—

The industry expects the season will end in midJune avoiding significant overlap with the Pacific Northwest OPPOSITE—Volatile trade relations could limit exports to Asia this year

major Coral and Bing varieties look to have lighter sets.

“Coral looks to be down as much as 20 to 30 per cent (in the central San Joaquin Valley),” says Martin. “Poor chilling hours over the winter as well as weather this spring took a toll on the Coral bloom with maybe just 3 tonnes (of fruit) per acre compared to 5 tonnes last year.”

Calder adds that Bing also saw poor bloom in the northern Stockton and Lodi regions this year.

“It wouldn’t be a surprise if only around 1mn cartons get shipped instead of the 2mn, we had last season,” he says.

Calder says that weather is the main culprit, plus steadily decreasing acreage for Bing. Though

PHOTO—California Cherries

he expects at least one positive outcome from the lower volume this year as fruit sizing should improve.

Coral has emerged as the state’s acreage leader as growers continue to add plantings due to the variety’s higher yields and resilience to poor

weather. Over the last two seasons of heavy volume, Bing packouts averaged around 2.2mn cartons while Coral averaged nearly 4mn. With production for both varieties likely to be down this season, total shipments could be hard pressed to reach 8m cartons.

Although California’s cherry production appears to be running somewhat late this year, the season is still expected to wind up by mid-June. If so, any overlapping production with the Pacific Northwest should be minimal.

“Based on the bloom onset, picking in the early districts of Washington should start the first week of June,” says Martin. “Volume should start to pick up by the week of 8 June. We are seeing good bud formation in the orchards, and this should result in a fairly large crop as long as the weather cooperates.”

Although exports to Asia have traditionally been an important element of California’s annual sales, factors beyond the industry’s control may limit shipments this year.

“Asian markets are nervous about tariffs and exchange rates,” says Martin. “We can only wait and see how things play out over the next few months.”

Calder agrees and says the continued strength of the US dollar is a real concern.

“Along with a short crop and [high] airfreight costs – California cherries could be quite expensive in Asia this year,” he says. A

South African apples and pears find growth in Asia

Diversification of markets and innovative marketing strategies are serving the South African apple and pear industry well.

by Fred Meintjes

From a country which was totally dependent on the traditional markets of Europe, the South African apple and pear industry has found new opportunities in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

South Africa’s strides in Asia have been so significant that it is now the country’s most important sales region.

Recent success in market access and furthering trade relations between South Africa and Asia are expected to further boost development. The latest successes have been re-entry into Thailand for South African apples, and very successful trade programmes for South Africa apples and pears in India. The campaign to firmly establish South African apples and pears in China is also gaining momentum.

A concerted effort to gain access for South African apples and pears in other South-East Asian countries is also underway, with South African industry leaders emphasising the need to find

other markets in the light of the trade wars started by US president Donald Trump.

However, apples and pears will possibly be the South African fruit sector least affected by Trump’s tariffs. Hortgro’s executive director, Anton Rabe, has also recently expressed the opinion that South Africa should negotiate better access with BRICS countries, of which India and China are possibly the most important.

Sachin Khurana, representative

for South African apples and pears in the region, says the future is bright and full of possibilities when one has such a strong product.

“We see our strong growth continuing in India and Thailand, which present exciting new opportunity for apples. We hope we can add pears to Thailand soon.”

He says new markets present strong opportunities, but as consumption grows, existing markets are also very important. “With increasing population

OPPOSITE—Gala types are driving growth for the apple industry LEFT—South Africa is diversifying its exports

and increasing spending in several of these countries, consumption is only going to grow, and it really bodes well for our industry.”

Access negotiations with the Philippines are reported to be well advanced and a protocol could be concluded soon.

“South African fruits, especially apples and pears, enjoy a unique preference in these markets owing to our exceptional quality,” says Khurana.

“We have seen surging demand from buyers in these markets. In India specifically, our apple exports grew by close to 50 per cent in 2023 and a further 55 per cent in 2024 closing just shy of 3mn cartons.”

He says South Africa is the second largest supplier of apples to China. “Our produce is being loved by consumers due to our unique flavour profile. Our Fuji and

to China,” Khurana shares.

The return of South African apples to Thailand has also generated much excitement in the South African industry.

“We are a relatively new entrant for apples after a hiatus of many years, so it is more about reintroducing our produce to the trade and consumers,” Khurana says. “A strong presence in modern retail and promotions in the traditional wholesale markets will play a key role, along with strong consumer promotions.”

Progress in Thailand represents years of diplomatic

Flash Gala apples have proven to be a huge success in the market and with recent addition of pears, we see the market growing even further now. In the very short period of three years, we are already very close to being the largest supplier of imported pears

TOP LEFT—South Africa is adding new blushed pears to its offering

TOP—Flash Gala is in high demand in Asia

LEFT—South Africa is now China’s secondlargest supplier of imported apples

and technical cooperation, according to Khurana.

“We're especially grateful to our Thai import partners including Flora Capital, who have shown tremendous enthusiasm in bringing these premium products to market. We're committed to supporting both our importers and retail partners with comprehensive marketing campaigns and in-store promotions,” he concludes. A

South Africa maintains stable growth

Sophisticated supply chains and market development stand apple and pear industry in good stead.

by Fred Meintjes

BELOW—

our world-class apples, grown in ideal conditions with sustainable practices, delivering the exceptional crispness, juiciness and flavour profiles South African fruit is known for internationally.”

During the past five years, Chinese imports of apples increased from 75,748 tonnes to 97,558 tonnes in 2024.

“Since we landed our first container of apples

As the world navigates volatile international trade conditions, the South African apple and pear industry can rely on its established markets as it seeks new opportunities.

Jacques du Preez, general manager for markets and trade at Hortgro, says that over the years South Africa has gathered much experience from exports to the European markets and the UK, and the country now has a sophisticated logistics chain and concentrated supplier regions. It’s this foundation that has helped the industry fuel surging trade to Asia.

“Due to our world-class system of controlled atmosphere storage facilities, we can supply apples for 12 months of the year, but most

importantly, we can fill our supply period to Asia between January and May,” says du Preez.

South African apples and pears already have a strong foothold in China, but the industry is looking for growth in other markets across the region including South-East Asia.

The arrival of the first shipment of South African apples to Thailand is the latest indication of these diversification efforts.

“The arrival of the first shipment of our apples in 16 years in Thailand marks not just the return of South African apples to Thailand, but the beginning of a new chapter in our agricultural trade relationship,” says du Preez.

“Thai consumers can now enjoy

in China in 2015, South Africa has become the second largest supplier of imported apples in China. Progress in markets such as India has also been well documented, with consumers welcoming the range of South African apples and pears, and particularly also the quality and taste,” says du Preez.

In 2024 South Africa supplied 3,075 tonnes of pears to China, of which 53 per cent were Forelle-pears, 23 per cent were Celina and 21 per cent were Cheeky. South African pears are exported all year round, with the peak period between January and March.

Asia has become the top export market for South African fruit, followed by Africa and the Middle East.

With new generation apple varieties showing promise, the South African apple and pear industry has never been better placed to supply Asia and leading exporters and growers agree that demand is there.

“The success of Flash Gala in India, for instance, has resulted in strong demand which we have experienced so far this season,” says Roelf Pienaar, managing director of Tru-Cape. A

Regaining access to Thailand should provide a boost for apple exports

Tru-Cape ready to expand its activities in Asia

Renewed access to Thailand to provide further impetus for South African apples and pears in Asian markets.

by Fred Meintjes

South African exporter TruCape says it is ready to build on the success it has already had in Asia now that the country’s apples have regained access to Thailand.

It has been 16 years since South Africa lost its presence in the South-East Asian market due to administrative problems.

“We have regained market access for apples to Thailand. Our priority now is to familiarise ourselves with the export protocol and establish a reputation as reliable suppliers,” says Roelf Pienaar, managing director of Tru-Cape.

“The market holds promising potential. Sixteen years ago, Tru-

Cape exported over 100 containers to Thailand. However, in our absence, New Zealand has gained a significant market share, presenting strong competition. While our re-entry may start slowly, we are optimistic about gaining momentum,” he notes.

Thailand, along with Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, and China, represents an important opportunity for expanding Tru-Cape’s presence in Asia and Pienaar says Tru-Cape believes there is potential to increase its volume to Asia by 10-15 per cent over the next few seasons.

“We believe Royal Beauty, Royal Gala, and Flash Gala will be particularly popular in the Thai market. Additionally, we see strong potential for European varieties like Pink Lady,” he says.

South Africa’s Flash Gala-branded apples have already received wide acclaim in India and China. This full-red Gala-type apple is seen as ideal for the markets in the region and will help South Africa to

BELOW—Tru-Cape is expecting its largest every Cheeky pear crop this season

compete more effectively. Tru-Cape is leading this brand development initiative.

“The next major focus is securing market access for pears in Thailand, which we are eagerly anticipating. Following that, we expect the Philippines to open for both apples and pears,” Pienaar says.

Tru-Cape expects strong demand for South African Forelle and other blush pear varieties in the region. “While apple exports to the Far East have seen steady growth, we believe there is also significant opportunity for South African pears, including in Thailand,” he notes.

The Norwegian pear variety Celina, marketed under the renowned QTee trademark, has a promising future in South Africa, according to Tru-Cape. This innovative cultivar promises exceptional quality, taste, and appearance, positioning it as a standout product in global premium pear markets.

It also enhances South Africa’s ability to supply a range of blushed pears from early utill late in the season.

“We are looking forward to a solid harvest with good volumes, which is encouraging,” shares Calla du Toit, head of procurement at Tru-Cape Fruit Marketing. “This year marks the first time some of our new blush pear selections are bearing fruit, and we’re anticipating our first commercial yield of Cape Blush. Additionally, we’re preparing for the largest Cheeky crop we’ve ever had.” A

LEFT—China holds huge potential for South African fruit

BELOW—South Africa runs an almost year-round pear campaign in India

Asia takes shine to“beautiful” South African fruit

Enthusiasm for South African apples and pears grows across new and established markets.

by Fred Meintjes

South Africa’s diverse apple and pear offering has suitors in markets right across Asia,according to Sachin Khurana, representative for South African apples and pears in Asia.

Speaking with Asiafruit at the start of the season, Khurana says South Africa will focus on its traditional varieties like Royal Galas and Fuji in 2025, but club varieties such as Pink Lady will also hold tremendous opportunities in the market.

“We are working very closely with our key exporters to ensure we can help them grow their business in these markets. That includes connecting them with potential buyers and helping drive more visibility to ensure the product moves quickly off the

be replicated in its newest market, Thailand.

“Our objective is to drive more awareness and demand in these export markets, focusing on all three stakeholder groups – trade, consumers and foodservice. Our red apples are extremely popular –Royal Gala and Flash Gala remain our hero products in India while in Thailand Fujis would be the other variety which will end up playing a key role for apples,” says Khurana.

“In pears, Packham’s, Forelle and Vermont Beauty make up most of our volume at present in India and we know opportunities exist in other markets.”

In India South Africa is almost able to run a year-round campaign for its fruit since the country’s pears are present throughout the year. The apple campaign starts in early March and goes on till August.

“We are extremely excited about re-entering Thailand. We are also working on promotions with some of the leading retailers, and that will help us with a strong presence in the region. Coming to China, I think the market has huge potential for us,” he concludes. A shelves,” says Khurana.

Khurana says exporters have always been the most critical factor in making any market work and grow. Their efforts have paid dividends in India, he notes, where demand for South African pomefruit continues to surge.

“In other markets it is no different – so we are excited about future prospects,” he says.

“Our campaign, ‘Beautiful Country, Beautiful Fruit, Exceptional Taste’ really helps drive that message home in our key export markets. We have seen the demand grow year-on-year in these markets and that has really helped us set the industry on a growth path.”

The industry is hopeful the success it has found in India can

BigBucks becomes apple leader

South African apple exporters are now reaping the benefits of an increasing range of apple varieties.

by Fred Meintjes

The BigBucks Gala apple variety changed the apple landscape in South Africa. Now the fastest-growing variety, it has helped lead the Gala category to the top of the country’s industry.

According to the BigBucks Growers Association, a surge in new planting between 2018 and 2020 has seen production volumes rise rapidly in recent years, and more growth is predicted for the coming years. Nearly 2mn cartons were packed for all markets in 2024.

The Pink Vein company – which owns the BigBucks variety and is led by apple legends Anthony Rawbone-Viljoen, Peter Corder and Buks Nel – believes the progress of recent years is a continuation of the momentum that grew following the establishment of the first commercial orchards as recently as 2014.

There are now a total of 2.58mn trees in the ground in South Africa alone, not counting plantings made in the EU, the US and more recently in Australia, where Plant Breeders Rights were recently awarded for the variety. Observers say BigBucks and its brand Flash Gala – along with Pink Lady – are the most important initiatives in South Africa’s apple category.

“The growth in volumes is expected to increase further as the trees shift from early bearing to their full production potential in the coming years, accelerated further by additional new orchard plantings,” says Anthony RawboneViljoen.

The brand Flash Gala is a premium offering of the variety, with fruit packed to the highest specification of both maturity and fruit colour. The tracking and verification of the database for BigBucks Gala is in progress and is being conducted with input from Geoff King who has extensive experience within the South African fruit industry.

He told South African growers that much effort is currently being

directed to ensure consistent eating quality. That effort is supported this season by the introduction of a packhouse inspectorate which operates across the South African industry. In order to support the marketing of the variety apart from the Flash Gala brand, fruit of a slightly lesser standard is packed under the BigBucks name.

“The advertising and promotions programme for the Flash Gala brand consists mainly of social media,” says Rawbone-Viljoen. “This channel currently remains the most cost-effective method, both for attracting the attention of consumers and subsequently retaining their loyalty.”

LEFT—BigBucks production continues to rise

First South African citrus estimate shows balanced growth

The Citrus Growers Association says there will not be an over- or undersupply of South African citrus this year.

by Fred Meintjes

The first South African citrus forecast of 2025 was released at the end of March, with all available data projecting exports in line with the five-year average.

Gerrit van der Merwe, chairman of the Citrus Growers Association (CGA), said at the time the crop should deliver sufficient fruit for all global markets, with no over- or undersupply.

In predicting stable conditions, he said overall quality of the fruit for 2025 looked to be excellent.

“The breakdown of various variety estimates indicates a balanced season ahead,” he confirmed.

In terms of lemons, the current

prediction is an export crop of 32.9mn 15kg cartons, 5 per cent less than last year.

“Estimates for citrus-producing regions the Sundays River Valley, Senwes (Marble Hall and Groblersdal), Boland and Patensie are all down, but Hoedspruit is estimated to increase its lemon production,” van der Merwe noted.

“Early lemons have already exported to several markets, especially to the Middle East, Russia and Canada.”

Volumes of navel and Valencia oranges are expected to be up this year.

“Predictions show a 5 per cent increase in export volume for navel oranges, at 26.1mn 15kg cartons

available for packing,” he continued. “The orange focus group has, for the first time, split estimates into early/ mid-season navels (11.34mn cartons) and late navels (14.75mn cartons) to improve tracking.”

“The possible impact of juicing prices on this figure is not yet quantifiable,” said van der Merwe. “Last year unusually high local processing prices supressed exports of Valencia oranges.”

Grapefruit exports are also predicted to increase. The 6 per cent growth figure translates into 13.5mn 17kg cartons, with the peak period for grapefruit exports expected to be between mid-April and midMay.

“The grapefruit focus group is also embarking on a new marketing project this season, aiming to drive an increase in grapefruit consumption amongst a younger target audience in the European market,” he noted.

Two early mandarin varieties are showing supply stability. The Satsuma season is likely to be similar in volume to 2024, close to 1.8mn 15kg cartons.

The Nova season is showing a slight 2 per cent decrease to 4.5mn cartons, while the third early mandarin variety, Clementines, has presented a solid increase of 10 per cent, with exports expected to increase to 5.4mn cartons.

The estimates for late mandarin varieties will only be made in April when more accurate production data is available.

Van der Merwe said long-term projections showed that if all role players worked together to address challenges, the industry could reach its target of exporting 260mn cartons by 2032 – and in the process create 100,000 new jobs. A

LEFT—Volumes of navel and Valencia oranges are predicted to rise this season

Soren Bjorn Driscoll’s

Monica Bratuti Turners International

Filip Fontaine VLAM

Alk Brand Westfalia

Tarun Arora IG Group

Christelle Bertin Blue Whale

Steve Magami Agrovision

Stephan Weist Rewe

Fabio Zanesco VIP

Dan Mathieson Zespri

Jose Antonio Gomez Camposol

Helge Sparsoe Fyffes

Raffaele Benedetti Unitec

Hannes Tauber VOG

Marion Regan Hugh Lowe Farms

Mohammed Abbas Del Monte

Franka Rodriguez ALDI South Group

Michael Fellner ALDI South Group

Sweet C closes in on yearround shelf presence

Innovative marketing has been a hallmark of the South African mandarin brand, which is now supported by counter-seasonal supply.

by Fred Meintjes

Over the past five years, South Africa’s Sweet C mandarin brand has gained substantial traction, particularly in China and SouthEast Asia.

The latest development is a decision by Sweet C’s brand owners to license one of their trusted and experienced Chinese partners, JWM Asia, to pack and export mandarins grown in China to key regional markets – including Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand – under the Sweet C label.

Sweet C is part of the successful House of Brands portfolio, owned and managed by ClemenGold International, which is excited by the benefits counter-seasonal supply will bring.

“This strategic move marks a significant milestone because Sweet C mandarins will now be available close to 12 months of the year, a rare and valuable achievement for any seasonal fresh produce brand,” says ClemenGold International.

“The carefully selected receivers of the counter-season supply are long-standing partners who typically receive fruit from South Africa. With this expanded model, they now enjoy an almost full-year shelf presence, keeping the Sweet C brand top of mind for consumers.”

ClemenGold International says Thailand’s inclusion is particularly significant, as the market is experiencing protocol difficulties

on citrus imports from South Africa – giving Sweet C an advantage in the region.

“Despite the geographical expansion, brand custodians continue to maintain strict oversight of quality standards to ensure a consistently excellent eating experience across all markets,” says the company.

While Sweet C initially entered wholesale markets, recent strategic marketing investments have propelled the brand into the retail space, where it enjoys growing consumer recognition.

Its bold blue brand colour and striking in-store campaigns have helped establish a memorable identity in crowded retail environments.

“For fresh produce to succeed globally, the key is differentiation – standing out and being remembered,”

says Adéle Ackermann, marketing manager at ClemenGold International. “We don’t believe commodity trading and seasonal price wars are the answer.

“Our strategy focuses on consistent supply of mandarins with exceptional internal qualities, supported by strong branding and creative marketing.”

Similar counter-seasonal supply agreements are also in place with Moroccan growers, ensuring year-round availability of Sweet C mandarins in the UK, Ireland, Mauritius, and the Middle East. A

BELOW—Supply from China has helped extend Sweet C availability in Asia

Vietnamese pomelo makes Lotte Mart debut in Korea

First pink pomelos sold by Korean retailer after Vietnam gained access in 2024.

by Liam O’Callaghan

Korean importer Jinwon Trading and Vietnamese exporter Hoang Phat Fruit Co have partnered to bring the first Vietnamese pomelo to Korea’s Lotte Mart.

Representatives from all parties and attended an event on 10 April at Lotte Mart’s Jamsil branch to celebrate the milestone. On-hand were Nguyen Khac Huy, president of Hoang Phat Fruit Co, and Pham Khac Tuyen, commercial counsellor of the Embassy of Vietnam in Korea.

The event featured tastings of pomelo and dishes incorporating the citrus fruit designed to highlight its characteristics. According to Jinwon Trading, the fruit’s health benefits are driving demand.

“Vietnamese pink pomelo is praised for its wellbalanced sweetness and tartness, low susceptibility to pests and diseases, and its eco-friendly cultivation. It is certified by both GlobalGAP and VietnamGAP, ensuring high-quality standards in sustainable agriculture,” the company says in a release.

“Rich in Vitamin C and dietary fibre, pink pomelo

LEFT—Tastings and dishes incorporating pomelo were available at the event

BELOW—Nguyen Khac Huy (centre right), president of Hoang Phat Fruit Co and Pham Khac Tuyen (centre left), commercial counsellor of the Embassy of Vietnam in Korea

is excellent for boosting immunity and aiding digestion.”

The breakthrough marks another milestone for the Vietnam pomelo trade which acquired access

“Vietnamese pink pomelo is praised for its well-balanced sweetness, tartness and low susceptibility to pests”

to Korea in mid-2024. Vietnam is the world’s second-largest producer of pomelo, with an annual output reaching approximately 1.14mn tonnes as of 2022. A

MFC adds character with new brands

Leading Australian citrus packer-exporter Mildura Fruit Company (MFC) welcomes a third addition to its new range of brands ahead of the 2025 season.

in season’, ensuring that no matter what time of year a customer purchases the brand they are always guaranteed premium quality and eating experience.

MFC export account manager, Sam Thompson, describes MFC’s vision for these new emerging brands.

them to a personalised landing page based on the geographical location of where scanning occurred,” explains Thompson.

Nifty Navels will join Dandy Mandy and Cara Kisses as part of the company’s family of flavourful citrus brands, each accompanied by interactive cartoon-style characters. The colourful mascots are designed to help further engage with consumers and highlight the unique charm and flavour profile of each offering.

Dandy Mandy is an early to mid-season seedless mandarin, characterised by its vibrant orange skin and high-Brix sweet flavour profile. The Cara Kisses brand features Cara Cara oranges with highly emotive pink branding designed to influence purchase behaviour via educating consumers about the pink-fleshed variety. Nifty Navels utilise the ‘best navels

“These new brands represent a change in how we market and distinguish MFC citrus from our competitors, with the focus on ensuring MFC fruit maintains a premium position in all markets we actively sell into.

“This focus on differentiation extends beyond Australian citrus, with an acute focus on how we stand out among our global competitors, where brands can become lost, in what can be a price-conscious, commodity-style category, at times.

“MFC believes these brands are perfectly suited toward our supply partners, with engaging imagery creating an exciting feel in-store. These new brands are supported with above the line activations through our social media channels, new websites and QR code innovations, reinforced through in-line activities to encourage purchase behaviour.”

To authenticate this commitment, MFC has partnered with New Zealand-based company, Trust Codes, to apply individualised QR codes on its pre-pack solutions.

“Consumers are invited to scan the code, directing

Citrus Brands June July August September October November December

“The page auto-translates into the native language and helps consumers authenticate the country of origin of the fruit they have just purchased.

“The secondary role of the QR code allows MFC to further connect with the end consumer. The page invites them to play an interactive game, with the potential to win prizes through participating supply partners. Through this deeper level of engagement and brand loyalty, MFC helps to drive foot traffic back into stores, delivering category growth.”

The vibrant colours coupled with each brand can be seen across all packaging options, with all three brands available in 1kg pre-pack bags, and 9kg and 18kg cartons.

“In addition, the new character brands also have non-sequential PLUs,” says Thompson.

“The PLUs we’ve created have four different types for each of the three characters to help keep the branding on-shelf when the fruit is loose. It also provides another point of engagement as kids can collect the different stickers.”

Contact

Email: info@mfc.com.au Phone: +61 03 5021 1644

Sassy

Dandy Mandy

Cara Kisses

Nifty Navel

Costa Group launches berry growing operation in Laos

Major international berry grower-marketer plans to develop 200ha of blueberry plantings by 2028 and sees Laos emerging as a key supply hub for Asia markets.

by John Hey

Costa Group inaugurated its brand-new project to grow berries in Laos at the beginning of March.

CEO Marc Werner was joined by large group of local dignitaries for the official launch of the groundbreaking new investment, cutting the ribbon on 17ha of blueberry plantings at Paksong on the Bolaven Plateau.

Costa expects the operation to expand over the next five years to 200ha of blueberry plantings.

“This is not only an important project for the Costa Group in developing the company’s international berry growing operations, but also in establishing what we hope will be a major investment in berry farming in Laos that will promote economic development, provide benefits for the local agricultural sector, and support local communities,” said Werner.

In addition to the initial 17ha of production, Costa intends to plant a further 50ha in 2026, and an anticipated 200ha by 2028.

“All going to plan, over the next five years, this investment will be a significant commitment by Costa to establishing a commercial and at-scale blueberry farming footprint in Laos,” Werner added.

Costa has a reputation as a leading grower of blueberries as

Asia,” said Werner.

The project currently employs a local workforce of 65 people and as the investment progresses, Costa said it is committed to employing more locals, through developing and training a local workforce.

“There will be local employment opportunities at every level of our Laos operation, be it on-farm roles, specialist horticulture roles and of course supervisor

well as a breeder and developer of unique blueberry varieties, including low- and no-chill genetics. Its blueberry variety programme has been operating for 30 years.

Costa has developed blueberry varieties and agronomic practices suitable for growing blueberries in both the Southern Hemisphere and Northern Hemisphere including in temperate and sub-tropical climates. The varieties can be grown under protective cover and out of the soil in substrate.

“What makes Laos such an ideal location for Costa to grow blueberries is not only its climate and geographic location, but also the opportunity to export these blueberries to other countries in

and management roles,” he said. “Indeed, when we reach the planned production footprint of 200ha, our workforce should grow to employing up to 2,000 locals.”

Werner acknowledged the support of a number of people in facilitating the investment, including the Laos minister of industry and commerce, Malaythong Khomasith, and the governor of Champasak Province, Alounxai Sounnalath.

“Costa greatly appreciates their willingness to recognise the value Costa can bring to the Laos agricultural industry. We are also grateful for the valuable support shown by the Australian government, through the Australian ambassador to Laos, her excellency, Megan Jones and the embassy staff,” he said.

Costa blueberry varieties are grown in a number of countries and continents around the world, including Australia, China, Morocco, Zimbabwe, South Africa and across the Americas. “We are delighted that Laos can now be added to this exclusive list,” said Werner. A

BELOW—Costa CEO Marc Werner is joined by local dignitaries for the official launch of the new project

Laos project to fill key supply window

Peter McPherson, consulting advisor to Costa Berry International, explains the strategic rationale for the group’s pioneering new berry plantation in Laos.

by John Hey

Congratulations to Costa Group on this groundbreaking new project to grow blueberries in Laos. What prompted the move to go into Laos and what advantages does the region offer compared with existing growing locations?

ABOVE—Costa’s production season in Laos will run from October to February

– our Laos crop comes online approximately three months earlier than the Yunnan, China seasonal peak production.

Where is the project located in Laos and what are the growing conditions and elevation like?

PM: The project is in Southern Laos on the Bolaven Plateau in Paksong, which is close to Pakse, the major city in Southern Laos. This is a very unique location as it is some 1,200 metres above sea level, with a microclimate that has to date through our trials delivered an earlier production window between October and February. The earlier timing is also made possible by our latest Costa no-chill varieties.

When are you expecting the project to be up and running and when do you anticipate the first fruit will come online?

Peter McPherson: Costa first became aware of Laos as a potential location to grow berries almost a decade ago, but at the time our key focus was on expansion in China. Together with the multi-year impact of Covid, it »

has only been more recently that the time was considered right to take advantage of the unique microclimate that Laos presents. This is particularly so with the new ‘no-chill’ Costa blueberry varieties that we are all very excited about. This location will allow Costa to substantially increase its seasonal offer of fresh premium berries in the Asian market consistent with what has been achieved with our China JV, which is all about premiumisation and delighting the consumer. The other key benefit here is the timing of production

PM: The first stage commercial plantings are underway with plant material supplied from Driscoll’s state-of-the art China nursery and initial production forecast for October this year.

The timing of the production looks set to fill an

“This location will allow Costa to substantially increase its seasonal offer of fresh premium berries in the Asian market”

important window in the market between October and February-March – coinciding with Peru and Chile. Do you see the Laos production competing with Peru and Chile or complementing them?

PM: There is no doubt Laos production will compete with the late-season supply from Peru and Chile, but this is something we have faced before with our Australian, Moroccan and China-grown blueberry varieties. However, when it comes down to it, the proven premium quality and established reputation of our Costa genetics which has been earned over many years will mean Costa product continues to hold its rightful place at the premium end of the market.

What varieties of blueberries will you grow there? Are you looking to plant other berries like raspberries and blackberries?

PM: The Costa varieties will underpin the production. This includes Arana, which has been our standout variety for many years but also our exciting new varieties, Cascade, Eterna, Delight, Breeze, and Bounty – each of which has positive traits from a consumer and shelf-life perspective. There is also the potential

to trial other Driscoll’s blueberry, rubus, and strawberry varieties to complement the blueberry infrastructure investment.

Logistics poses a challenge for such a project in terms of getting fruit to market. How are you planning to manage this?

PM: There will undoubtedly be some teething issues with logistics

and moving product to various target Asian markets. This is not a new challenge for Costa, given the many locations where we have been one of the first movers and have needed to focus investment on developing a reliable and efficient supply chain. Significant investment is going into logistics in Laos as of this moment. This will enable the operation of a proper cold chain where product can reach its intended destination within two to four days’ transit time.

What are the key target markets for the initial production from the Laos project? Presumably Laos will need to establish market access protocols with several markets in Asia and beyond?

PM: Asia in general will be the key target market with already established customer relationships in place. This should be helped by progress on market access which has already begun. The Laos government is very proactive and supportive with obtaining access to China and India. A

ABOVE—(l-r): Costa CEO Marc Werner with Alounxai Sounnalath, governor of Champasak province, and Australian ambassador Megan Jones at the official opening

RIGHT—Peter McPherson, consulting advisor to Costa Berry International

COSTA PRODUCE

Blueberries, Raspberries, Blackberries and Strawberries

Citrus Table Crapes

Mushroom Avocados Glasshouse Tomatoes Bananas

Challenges put pressureindustryon

Global Coalition of Fresh Produce report on price and value chains finds 70 per cent of fresh produce operators are thinking of exiting the industry within the next two to three years.

by Carl Collen

The Global Coalition of Fresh Produce has released a new report studying international fruit and vegetable supply chains and their impact on price.

Covering several wide-ranging factors, the briefing note studied input costs, sustainability, logistics, compliance, trade policies and more. One of the most worrying findings came in a section covering the economic viability of the fresh produce industry.

The Coalition said that the business faced “a daunting operating landscape characterised by geopolitical conflicts, climate change and inflationary pressures that disrupt global supply chains”. Some 70 per cent of respondents to its survey said they were considering exiting the industry within the next two to three years, driven primarily by increased input costs, low selling prices and higher labour costs.

“While the majority of respondents to the Global Coalition’s 2024 survey into production and trading costs and prices reported an increase in average selling prices compared to last year, this increase was for the most part insufficient to offset rising operating costs,” the report stated. “As a result, two fifths of the global industry was found to operate at a loss (25 per cent) or break even (36 per cent) in 2024.

“Two fifths of the global industry was found to operate at a loss (25 per cent) or break even (36 per cent) in 2024”

“Alarmingly, more operators are operating at a loss in 2024 than in 2023 (19 per cent),” the Coalition outlined. “While fluctuating profit

margins are a common occurrence in the fresh produce industry, the share of operators who are making a profit remains at the lowest level recorded over the past ten years.”

Price data

Globally, there had been an upward trend in consumer prices for food, including fruits and vegetables, in recent years, the report found. This trend was most marked during and immediately after the Covid-19 crisis and had lessened since.

However, prices for fruits and vegetables generally rose less than those for other foods. This means that fresh produce remained “highly competitive compared to other food categories” and was still one of the most cost-effective choices for consumers.

Higher prices did not, however, necessarily equate to more money for growers.

“Consumers in the US, for example, are forecast to pay between 0.6 and 0.9 per cent more

for their fruits and vegetables, respectively, in 2024 compared to 2023,” the Coalition explained. “At the same time, farm-gate prices are expected to fall or grow slowly on average in 2024: prices for farm-level fruits are predicted to decrease by 1.9 per cent, while prices for farm-level vegetables are expected to increase by 0.5 per cent.

“Net farm income is expected to decline by 6.3 percent in 2024, signifying continued financial strain for the agricultural sector,” it warned.

Influences

The prices paid by consumers for fruits and vegetables were influenced by a range of factors,

which were often “poorly understood”, the report continued.

It was, it said, crucial to understand the many investments involved in production, while acknowledging the perishable nature of the products made them sensitive to change in weather, the supply chain, and other short-term areas.

“Supply chain challenges such as higher production costs, extreme weather conditions, logistical bottlenecks and geopolitical tensions exert inflationary pressure on global supply chains for fruit and vegetables, with little sign of abating in the foreseeable future,” the Coalition commented.

In the long run, climate change

was expected to significantly affect fresh produce production, it said, while the costs of various inputs such as construction materials, fertilisers, fuel, machinery, and shipping services continued to climb.

Then there was the cost of compliance with standards for social and environmental sustainability, with the Coalition using South Africa as an example.

It said it was estimated that the average fruit grower in South Africa spent 10 per cent of its gross income to comply with private standards for social and environmental sustainability and food safety.

Volatility in global trade policies was another lingering threat, with the report stating the industry “does not respond well to uncertainty”.

LEFT—Seventy per cent of businesses are considering exiting the industry

BELOW—Higher prices have not necessarily delivered increased returns

The Coalition used the well-publicised tariffs issued by the new Trump administration as an example, warning of major shifts in global trading patterns and the potential for long-term inflationary pressure, soaring costs and higher prices for consumers. A

Talking Heads: Benoit Barache

Blue Whale’s marketing manager for Asia has enjoyed the process of building a fruit brand from scratch.

Can you give us a brief overview of your current position in the fresh produce business and your previous roles?

BB: I am marketing manager for Blue Whale for all our Asia markets meaning I oversee marketing activities in the ten countries and regions we export to. I joined Blue Whale three years ago. Previously I was based in China as import manager for Carrefour in the south of the country and trade marketing manager for Lactalis.

How did you first get into the fresh produce business?

BB: I first got in touch with Blue Whale back in 2018 when they were expanding their team in Asia. I kept an eye on the company finding that it had an incredible story, being able to export to 70 countries around the world.

What is your proudest achievement in your work in the fresh produce business?

BB: For the last three years our focus has been to build Candine across the Asia region. Starting from ten containers we are now reaching 200 containers. We are very proud to have a variety matching consumers’ trends and taste. It’s great to be able to start from scratch with a new brand and support the hard work of our growers, packhouses and commercial team to make it a success.

What do you see as the biggest challenge facing the fresh produce industry?

BB: There is always a tricky point at the beginning of each season when plans aren’t totally settled which requires us to be focused on planning and execution. Adding to that is logistics context, which has never been the same since Covid.

Describe your typical day-to-day schedule?

BB: My day-to-day will vary whether I am at our office in Singapore or on a trip.

Usually, it starts with a coffee to be fully operational, refreshing our dashboard to keep a big picture of the zone in mind and tackle the todos of the day.

Where have you travelled to lately in your job and where are you planning to go next?

BB: We just finished a market visit of Shanghai and Vietnam with our French team. I will be heading to Vietnam in May again for Fresh Produce Vietnam. Following that will be a quick trip to France to gather with the team on the end of season.

How much fresh produce do you consume and where do you shop for it?

BB: As I often visit stores for work,

I often buy products I have never tried before. Especially being based in Singapore where so many varieties of fruits are available. Besides that I order my usual basket of Candine or Kissabel online.

What do you love in particular about your job, and what, if anything, would you change?

BB: I love being able to have both a direct link with the products as we work on behalf of our growers but also a direct link with our customers around the zone. This proximity enables us to better understand their needs.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

BB: As I lived for a few years in China there is a proverb that has always been in my mind which is: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step”. A

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Thailand

The arrival of the first consignment of South African apples in Thailand after a 16-year absence is celebrated at Talaad Thai Market.

South African apples have made their return to Thailand after a 16-year market absence.

At a ceremony at Talaad Thai Market in early April, South African ambassador to Thailand, Darkey Ephraim Africa (centre of picture), officially welcomed the first shipment, marking a milestone in agricultural trade relations between the two nations. Ambassador Africa ceremonially opened the first container of apples, with local vendors at Thailand’s largest fresh produce market receiving the first boxes.

Sachin Khurana, Thailand representative for South African apples (pictured right), said the ceremony symbolised a renewed trade partnership.

“The shipment marks not just the return of South African apples to Thailand, but the beginning of a new chapter in our agricultural trade relationship,” said Jacques du Preez, general manager of trade and markets at Hortgro.

“Thai consumers can now enjoy our world-class apples, grown in ideal conditions with sustainable practices, delivering the exceptional crispness, juiciness and flavour profiles South African fruit is known for internationally.”

The market reopening followed intensive collaboration between Thai and South African agricultural authorities to establish updated phytosanitary protocols, ensuring the highest standards of food safety while facilitating trade. A

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