Belgian consumers are the first in Europe to have access to Zespri™ Red, a new kiwifruit variety characterised by its red centre and sweet, berry-like flavour. The variety is being introduced to the European market from mid-October following an initial trial period and more than 15 years of research and development based on natural crossbreeding and selection.
“Behind this kiwifruit lies more than fifteen years of research and development through natural crossbreeding and selection. The variety was developed in New Zealand and subsequently tested for years under European growing conditions in collaboration with growers. Today, it is cultivated in Italy,” says Nele Moorthamers, Head of Marketing EU.
The fruit has smooth skin ranging from light to dark brown, with flesh featuring a distinctive red centre. It joins Zespri Green and Zespri SunGold™ in the company’s portfolio.
More than 15 years of breeding and selection
Zespri Red, officially identified as Actinidia chinensis var. chinensis ‘Zes008’, was developed through conventional crossbreeding and selection, without genetic modification.
The breeding programme involved pollinating female kiwifruit flowers with pollen from male plants and assessing successive generations for characteristics including flavour, appearance and productivity.
Research was carried out in collaboration with the Kiwifruit Breeding Centre (KBC), a partnership between Zespri and New Zealand’s Bioeconomy Science Institute. The varieties were tested in New Zealand and at several locations in Italy, covering different soil and climatic conditions.
Zespri Red is the first red-fleshed variety from the programme to be commercially launched in Europe.
Italy supplies the European market
Production in Italy forms part of Zespri Global Supply, which works with growers outside New Zealand in countries including Italy, France, Greece, Japan and South Korea. Production in the Northern Hemisphere currently accounts for approximately 10% of Zespri’s total output.
For the European market, Zespri Red cultivation is currently concentrated in Italy’s Lazio region, around Latina. Favourable weather conditions allowed harvesting to begin in mid-September, making it the earliest-harvested Zespri variety of the Italian season, ahead of Zespri SunGold.
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Following approval of the commercial rollout in March 2025, Zespri plans to establish a total of 170 hectares of Zespri Red orchards in Italy between 2026 and 2028. All growers involved are located in Lazio, where the fruit is also packed.
“Bringing Zespri Red to Europe required years of testing, collaboration and learning. Together with our growers, we studied how the variety performs under European conditions and continuously refined growing practices step by step,” says Ella Maxwell, responsible for the Italian development programme at KBC.
Limited availability during the first season
Zespri Red will be available from mid-October through Belgian supermarket chains including Okay, Spar, Carrefour, Delhaize, Intermarché, Aldi and Jumbo.
Because volumes from the first European harvest remain limited, availability is expected to last for only a few weeks.
