/PRZWT/ On February 24, 2026, New Zealand's Zespri RubyRedTM kiwifruit made a historic debut in the Chinese market by being transported by air. This was also the first time that Zespri RubyRed products had the opportunity to be available in the Chinese market during the Spring Festival, featuring kiwifruit produced in New Zealand. Due to the unique nature of Zespri RubyRed products, this time Zespri innovatively chose to enter the Chinese market by air transport, aiming to minimize the transportation time and ensure that the fruits are presented on Chinese consumers' dining tables in their best freshness and flavor.
Following a small-scale test of air transportation of Good Peak RubyRedTM exotic fruits last year, the first batch of air shipments is expected to be approximately 92 tons and will arrive in China successively within a week starting from February 24th. The Good Peak RubyRedTM exotic fruits transported by air have gained popularity in the Chinese market. Apart from a small portion of the products being used for training for Chinese retail customers, logistics suppliers, etc., to help them fully understand the precautions for this variety in transportation, storage, and sales, the rest will be sold on retail platforms such as Baoyuan, Xianfeng, Hema, JD, Baoji Life, Douyin, Meituan Xiaoxiang, Dingdong Maicai, Ole, etc., as well as core domestic wholesale markets.
The Jiapei RubyRedTM kiwi fruit has been highly popular among consumers in the Chinese market since its launch. In the 2025 production season, the global output of Jiapei RubyRedTM kiwis was 3 million standard retail cases (approximately 10,800 tons), of which 1.5 million standard retail cases were supplied to the market in the Greater China region. In the 2026 production season, Jiapei is expected to supply 5.3 million standard retail cases of RubyRed kiwis to the global market, of which approximately 2 million standard retail cases will be sold to the Greater China region, and 26,000 standard retail cases will be transported by air.
Rahul Bagde, the global supply chain market head of Kiwi Fruit, said: "This is a historic attempt for Kiwi Fruit. It is our first time to officially launch the latest Kiwi Fruit from New Zealand through air transportation. From the initial 10,000 standard retail cases, it has grown to 2 million standard retail cases in the Greater China region this year. I am very much looking forward to embarking on a new journey with the RubyRedTM Kiwi Fruit of Kiwi Fruit this year's production season."
Jiang Shijie, the president of Zespri Group in the Greater China region, said, "The 2026 production season holds great significance for us. After the successful small-scale supply chain test last year, this year we officially introduced Ruby Red Kiwifruit to the Chinese market by air transportation. This not only demonstrates Zespri's high recognition of the new product and the consumption potential of the Chinese market, but also shows our continuous pursuit of supply chain efficiency and product freshness. We are very honored to witness this important moment and are confident about the performance of the Chinese market in the new season."
RubyRedTM, the ruby red kiwi from Zespri New Zealand, is a product with independent plant variety rights launched to the market by Zespri New Zealand and the New Zealand Kiwi Breeding Centre after overcoming various challenges for over 20 years. The RubyRed kiwi fruit can be described as "little anthocyanin bombs"， rich in natural anthocyanins that are beneficial to the human body. In addition， it contains abundant key nutrients such as vitamin C， dietary fiber， etc.， which can meet the demands of modern consumers for high-quality fruits that combine health， taste， and appearance.
