Export Award For Zespri International Ltd

Media Release June 2003

Export Award For Zespri International Ltd

ZESPRI International Ltd, global marketer for the kiwifruit industry and New Zealand’s biggest horticultural export earner, has won the Trade New Zealand Supreme Exporter of the Year for its outstanding achievements in overseas markets.

CEO Tim Goodacre says the Tauranga based company has increased returns to its shareholders and growers for five consecutive seasons. Sales of ZESPRI™ Kiwifruit totalled $800 million in 2001/02, up from $746m in 2000/01, with almost all its revenue generated from exports.

“Our main competitive advantage is our integrated product and delivery system, which sees us working in partnership with growers, suppliers and customers to maximise sales and returns,” says Mr Goodacre.

“The integrated system enables continual quality assurance, innovation and improvement of our product portfolio. It allows us to be agile and responsive to market demands.”

ZESPRI International sells its kiwifruit to customers in 65 countries, with key export markets in Japan and Europe. A global organisation, it has 200 staff in offices around the world, including Belgium, Italy, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, the USA and New Zealand.

Mr Goodacre says the increase in sales over the past several years is attributable to a combination of factors. These include growing awareness of the ZESPRI™ brand and recognition of its quality and taste attributes, increasing appreciation of the nutritional properties of kiwifruit, and the highly successful global commercialisation of ZESPRI™ GOLD kiwifruit.

Launched in 2000 after years of development and millions of dollars of research, he says sales of ZESPRI™ GOLD, the new, sweeter kiwifruit variety, have exceeded all expectations.

ZESPRI International, as the world’s best marketer of kiwifruit, wanted to maintain it’s global leadership position and this has been achieved with the introduction of GOLD as the consumer reaction has been extraordinarily positive.

Mr Goodacre says the success of GOLD is a tribute to the partnership between ZESPRI and the industry.

“We couldn’t have done it without our growers, suppliers, Hort Research partners and everyone else who’s been involved in this process. Many people took a sizeable leap of faith with ZESPRI™GOLD and we feel that faith has been well rewarded.”

Tim Goodacre says ZESPRI is continually pushing its standards higher to maintain its edge over rapidly improving competitors. The company makes a significant investment in enhancing the quality and taste of its products through its subsidiary ZESPRI Innovation.

Along with offering consumers consistently excellent quality and taste, he says ZESPRI is also able to assure them of the safety of its products through its compliance with all internationally accredited food safety programmes, plus its own traceabiity and quality assurance systems. He says this is a critical success factor, with food safety becoming a growing issue around the world.

ENDS

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