New Zealand Has Record-Breaking Cherry Export Season

Scott Mathias
Feb 14
2 min read

New Zealand's cherry industry is celebrating an unprecedented export season, with projections indicating a record-breaking year in terms of volume. Dean Smith, Chief Executive of Summerfruit NZ, reports cherry export volumes have already surpassed 5,000 tonnes, driven by heightened demand during the Chinese New Year period in East Asia. Taiwan remains the number one market for New Zealand cherries followed by China, Vietnam and Hong Kong.

Source: PFN News Archives - New Zealand Central Otago Cherries

Dean Smith says favourable winter chill and good flowering set also contributed to higher yields along with fresh investment in the industry including new growing systems.

Leading the charge is Southern Fruits International, a prominent cherry grower and exporter. Fruitnet reports, the company anticipates harvesting over 500 tonnes of premium cherries from its Central Otago orchards this summer, marking its most substantial yield to date. Sales and Marketing Manager Sharon Kirk attributes this success to increased pre-season demand, with forward orders secured for more than half of the anticipated crop during the Asia Fruit Logistica event in Hong Kong.

Sharon Kirk - International Sales, Southern Fruits International @ Asia Fruit Logistica 2024

Sharon Kirk says the company's orchards at Lindis Peaks and Mt Pisa, spanning 160 hectares, are now entering their peak production phases. This growth has attracted significant interest from premium retailers across the Middle East, Asia, particularly China and Taiwan, the United States, and Canada. Emerging markets in Saudi Arabia, India, Thailand, and potentially Hong Kong are also showing promise.

The introduction of the "Moment" cherry brand complements the existing "Beyond" line, offering consumers a choice between two premium products. Both brands will feature eight cherry varieties, including Sonnet, Sandra Rose, Santina, Stardust, Lapins, Sweetheart, Kordia, and Staccato, that were progressively available from late December through February.

Source: Public Domain - Central Otago NZ Cherries

This remarkable season follows a challenging period last year when adverse weather conditions, including strong winds that damaged protective nets, led to reduced production. The successful replacement of these nets ahead of the spring flowering and fruit set period has contributed significantly to this year's bumper crop.

As the season progresses (several high altitude orchards are still harvesting), industry stakeholders remain optimistic about maintaining this momentum and further solidifying New Zealand's reputation for producing premium-quality cherries in high demand worldwide.

Audio Article Sponsors Link

ENDS:

Comments

India’s Fresh Food Frenzy and How 10-Minute Deliveries Are Rewiring the Indian Diet

Leading the pack is Kisan Konnect, a farm-to-fridge juggernaut that’s tapped into India’s new obsession is right in the middle of India's fresh food frenzy delivering fast, fresh, and traceable food. Think e-commerce, but with tomatoes. Q-commerce is already redefining shopping in India (10-minute deliveries, no joke), but this is QF-commerce - Quick. Fresh. Local. It’s a dietary shift disguised as a delivery service.

15 hours ago2 min read

Would You Eat a Chicken Nugget with Veins? Japan’s Lab-Grown Mega-Nugget Sparks a New Food Debate

In a development, part science fiction, part Sunday dinner, Japanese scientists have just unveiled the world’s largest lab-grown chicken nugget with veins. Yes, you read that right. The nugget, grown in a lab using a simulated circulatory system of hollow fibres, marks a huge leap forward in the cultivated meat race. But before you fire up the air fryer, no it’s not edible yet.

2 days ago2 min read

Now Dubai Chocolate Goes Vegan & Ombar’s Pistachio Cream Bar Is the Real Indulgence

Now Dubai chocolate is vegan. And honestly? It’s about time. The original pistachio-stuffed ‘Dubai chocolate’ may be blowing up online, but if you’re plant-based or just ingredient-conscious, your options until now have been slim to none. But here comes Ombar Chocolate -clean, green, and stuffed with a nutty centre so good it might make you forget what dairy ever tasted like.

2 days ago2 min read

Is This the End of Meat Imitation? Revo Foods Bets Big on Function, Not Familiarity

In a quiet but seismic shift, Austrian food-tech startup Revo Foods has just released “The Prime Cut” - a 3D-printed mycoprotein product finally answering a question industry insiders are beginning to ask out loud. What if the future of alternative protein isn’t meat-like at all?

3 days ago2 min read

Next Gen Protein Shake using PureTrue from Armored Fresh

No Gums. No Stabilisers. Just Next-Gen Protein Built for Earth, Ready for Mars

What if your protein was clean enough for your body and smart enough for space? That’s the proposition behind Pureture, the next-gen protein biotech outfit quietly scaling a next-gen yeast-based casein with no gums, no stabilisers, no emulsifiers, just functionality, purity, and real-world performance.

3 days ago2 min read

Was Pizza Hut’s Plant-Based Caviar A Pop or a Flop?

So, Pizza Hut in the US has thrown a curve-ball from the left field and it wasn’t crust-shaped. In a move leaving plant-based foodies and food snobs equally stunned - the chain dropped a plant-based pepperoni “caviar” made from seaweed. Yes, seaweed. Smoky little plant-based caviar pearls looking like they belonged at a yacht party and not dumped on a Personal Pan.

4 days ago2 min read

Could Crisps Be Cooked? Spud Waste Gets a Fungi Makeover

US based, The Better Meat Co. has scored its sixth U.S. patent, this time for the wild idea of fermenting spud waste with mycelium to produce a high-protein, cholesterol-free meat alternative called Rhiza. And it’s ready in just a few hours. Forget cow farts and climate guilt. This is meat made from mushroom roots and leftover mash.

5 days ago2 min read

Is India the One to Watch? Bio-Manufactured (Cultivated) Trout Just Leapt Out of the Lab and Onto the Plate

Mumbai based, Biokraft Foods has just launched what could be the tipping point for Asia’s cellular seafood sector, revealing bio-manufactured (cultivated) rainbow trout fillets created without the fish. Developed in partnership with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research – Central Institute of Coldwater Fisheries Research (ICAR-CICFR), these next-gen fillets aren’t just lab-grown, they’re also 3D-printed.

6 days ago2 min read

1/116

> ADVERTISE WITH US <