ORANGE COUNTY, CA - The warm weather leaves many consumers’ taste buds tingling for sweet and juicy produce items like kiwifruit. Zespri™ is armed and ready to meet this strong consumer demand, as the company’s first-ever charter vessel to the United States arrived in the Port of Los Angeles on May 9 with a bevy of SunGold™ Kiwifruit.

“Our SunGold Kiwifruit continues to be on-trend and is driving the category,” explained Susan Noritake, Head of Sales for the North American market. “Zespri is the number-one fastest growing fruit in the fruit bowl, outpacing total fruit by 12 points. SunGold Kiwi accounts for 63 percent of the category’s growth. We have a lot of marketing resources available for retailers, including customized programs and free shipper displays, to help them capitalize on the increasing demand.”

The shipment signifies the kickoff of another anticipated season, and Zespri is wielding its integrated Go Sweet. Be bold consumer campaign to communicate the benefits of SunGold and drive traffic to retailers that carry the brand.

Some of its efforts to increase brand awareness and purchases include digital media, social media, and influencer marketing along with mass sampling efforts at major events. Zespri is using high-reach digital channels including Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube, according to a press release, and also has new shipper displays featuring bright, eye-catching graphics to help drive in-store sales.

“Retailers can increase their sales more than 200 percent by placing our display merchandisers in their produce section,” Noritake noted. “Kiwi is also a basket builder in the fruit department. Just by adding kiwi to the basket with other fruit items, the basket size increases $34 on average.”

Zespri has reported exceptional weather conditions, positioning the company for a strong season of great-tasting kiwifruit. To help buyers accelerate category growth, the company’s sales reps align with its partners to develop customized retail programs.

A fruitful season is surely underway in the kiwifruit category. For more category updates, leave a tab open for AndNowUKnow.

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