When it comes to the supply of premium quality kiwifruit, New Zealand is the undisputed ‘fruit-bowl to the world’. We’re a country with unrivalled advantages – ideal growing conditions, depth of technical expertise, and a world-leading approach to global marketing.
All Southern Cross Horticulture orchards grow Zespri Kiwifruit. Zespri is the world’s largest marketer of kiwifruit – selling to more than 54 countries, and responsible for the majority of global trade. As an industry we have developed a hugely successful global brand that commands premium prices.
Zespri has secured an enviable position in the global supply chain. With an in-market presence in various markets, Zespri-branded fruit is now enjoyed 12 months of the year by consumers around the world.
Zespri has the worldwide plant variety rights (PVR) to a number of kiwifruit varieties; including the extremely popular SunGold. Global demand for this distinctive and nutrient-dense fruit continues to grow.
Since launching in 1997, Zespri has successfully placed New Zealand-grown kiwifruit on the world stage. Yet the next 20 years could prove even more fruitful – with a number of global trends that support the sector’s long-term outlook.
There’s a growing trend towards healthy foods – driven by a focus on health and wellness, ageing populations, and growing middle classes in developing economies. Consumers also want food that comes from safe, trusted producers.
Worldwide consumption of kiwifruit currently accounts for less than a 0.5% of all internationally-traded fruit. This shows that kiwifruit is still an under-developed category – with future potential to be discovered by millions of new consumers in new markets.
Recognising the huge potential of SunGold, Zespri has a clear strategy to boost future production. New SunGold orchards – that are able to produce quality fruit within short timeframes – will be needed to meet this demand. This is the ‘sweet spot’ where Southern Cross Horticulture operates.
Zespri has a target to grow total global sales to $4.5 billion by 2025. Most of the growth is expected to come from SunGold, which is predicted to increase by 2800 hectares to over 100m trays. This represents a huge opportunity for us and our investors to develop new SunGold orchards, and produce quality crops as soon as possible.
Southern Cross Horticulture’s vertically-integrated business model is unique in the sector, and it’s our end-to-end solution that allows us to get such great results. Our model allows us to be a market leader at creating world-class orchards. We are able to design, build, establish and manage high-performing kiwifruit orchards – and bring them to production quickly.
This represents a huge opportunity to develop new Southern Cross Horticulture - SunGold orchards, and produce quality crops as soon as possible. Together with investors and land-owners, Southern Cross Horticulture is ready to make this happen.