ORANGE COUNTY, CALIF. — Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit shipments have begun arriving in the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Philadelphia this month, and Green Kiwifruit will start to arrive in early May, according to the company.

Zespri said the 2025-26 harvest is projected for more than 200 million trays sold worldwide. The company has launched a tracking feature on its website for North America to watch the kiwifruit shipments to the West and East Coasts in real-time.

Source: Zespri

According to Zespri, kiwi is the No. 1 fastest growing fruit in the fruit bowl and Zespri is the No. 1 selling kiwi brand in the category. The company attributes its high demand to its retail partnerships, in-store displays, and lovable brand characters, the Zespri KiwiBrothers.

“Last season, we took our consumer campaign ‘Taste the Obsession’ to new heights through the introduction our KiwiBrothers brand characters in paid media and sampling activations,” said Darren LaMothe, Zespri’s general manager, North America. “The campaign surpassed key metric target and engagement benchmarks reinforcing the strength and impact of our characters driving the consumer connection. This season we are adding a strong retail component to the marketing mix to drive sales.”

This year is the KiwiBrothers’ second season in the United States. Last year’s campaign featured the characters on a road trip through the country with a custom theme song. This season, the KiwiBrothers will playfully act as movie stars, traveling in Hollywood-style trailers and posing on movie sets, Zespri said.

Source: Zespri

“Our robust marketing initiatives expand the reach of our KiwiBrothers by bringing them in-store and through shopper programs to drive conversion,” LaMothe said. “Consumers view the KiwiBrothers’ characters on packaging as unique, creative and fun and it helps the brand stand out on shelf, which drives purchase.”

According to Zespri, retailers see an average sales lift of 110% during promotions featuring in-store displays. The brand has also found that sales of SunGold and Green Kiwifruit increase 32% when the varieties are merchandised together, compared to another green kiwi brand.

Zespri shared that it is also soft launching a new variety, RubyRed Kiwifruit, in the US. The new variety has a naturally sweet berry flavor and is high in antioxidant vitamin C, according to the brand.

“There’s a lot of excitement from consumers for our new variety,” LaMothe said. “We have a pilot program for three weeks for West Coast retailers at the start of the season. This trial period will help Zespri gather key insights, refine logistics, and optimize support before a nationwide expansion.”