Zespri will have an early kick-off to the new New Zealand season as the first vessel, the Crown Topaz, carrying just over 1.253 mio trays of SunGold Kiwifruit, has reached Zeebrugge this Sunday. For Green kiwifruit they expect to start the season in week 20.
"This season we are expecting to supply around 55 mio trays of our premium Zespri kiwifruit across Europe. Our latest estimates show a supply of 20 mio trays of SunGold, and around 35 mio trays of Green this year."
"In the coming months, we foresee that 25 vessels will arrive in Zeebrugge on a weekly basis. The first three vessels will be reefers and the next 22 container ships. Besides Zeebrugge, we are also expecting around 11 vessels in Vado and Tarragona."
Nele Moorthamers, Acting General Manager Europe, says while there are ongoing challenges associated with COVID-19, all European ports are functioning well. We’ll continue to monitor the changing COVID19 situation closely and are adopting a precautionary approach. The safety of our people and fruit remains our priority.
“We are looking forward to the start of the season. We’re expecting another great tasting crop of premium-tasting Zespri kiwifruit which has benefitted from this season’s warm weather and excellent pollination.”, says Ms. Moorthamers.
It will be a special season with a completely new packhouse in Zeebrugge. There have been some delays due to COVID-19, but we still have the infrastructure from last year to start the season and we are planning to be fully operational in the new packhouse by mid-May.
Besides, we will also reveal our new brand to the consumers. The new brand reflects the company’s purpose which is to help people, communities and the environment thrive through the goodness of kiwifruit.
“Zespri Kiwifruit are not only among the world’s most nutritious fruits, but they also taste amazing, so consumers can make the better choice of reaching for a snack that is both healthy and delicious. And to celebrate the importance of being healthy, we’ve introduced a new tagline, empowering our people to ‘make your healthy irresistible’.” The new brand will be progressively rolled out across Zespri packaging and collateral and enter markets from May onwards.
For more information:
Ellen Van Looveren
Zespri
Email: [email protected]