Zespri has today launched its 2035 strategy – a long-term plan to strengthen the kiwifruit industry’s resilience, unlock future value and a bold ambition to become the world’s healthiest fruit brand.
The kiwifruit marketer’s 2035 strategy has been launched at the industry’s two-day Momentum 2026 Conference in Mount Maunganui which is being attended by more than 600 growers, shareholders, post-harvest and industry leaders and supply-chain partners and customers from around the world. It’s the first Momentum Conference held since 2020.
Zespri CEO Jason Te Brake says the industry is creating significant value for growers, working off a strong platform built over many years and now is the right time to look ahead at how it continues to deliver value over the next 10 years in a more competitive and complex global environment.
“Our 2035 strategy responds to a rapidly changing global environment and the need to stay ahead of shifting consumer expectations, increasing competition, climate pressures, geopolitical uncertainty and accelerating technological change.
“Having exceeded our previous target of $4.5 billion in global sales revenue by 2025, Zespri’s new strategy sets an ambition that goes beyond financial performance and as we look out to 2035, we’ve set ourselves an exciting ambition – to become the world’s healthiest fruit brand.
“We’re aiming to be at the forefront of the global fruit category by championing health and nutrition for our consumers, delivering leading products through a resilient future supply chain, and providing leading value to growers.
“Our 2035 strategy is about preparing our industry to be fit for the future while staying true to what makes Zespri special. Consumers are seeking healthier food choices, our markets are becoming more complex, and technology is transforming how people shop and how businesses operate. This strategy positions us to thrive in that environment, continuing to deliver high-quality great-tasting Zespri Kiwifruit to help people, communities and the environment around the world thrive through the goodness of kiwifruit.”
Zespri has defined being the world’s healthiest fruit brand in terms of delivering highly nutritious kiwifruit products for consumers, delivering strong, healthy returns for growers, and creating a healthy, rewarding environment for Zespri people to grow, develop and perform at their best – with its 2035 strategy supported by three strategic drivers. These are:
1) Unleash brand-demand – building a globally iconic fruit brand loved for natural nutrition through creating desirability for the Zespri brand, expanding availability and visibility in key channels, and providing the best product and packaging experience.
2) Transform global supply – establishing a responsive, resilient and reliable year-round supply chain delivering leading value through unlocking future supply, building a world-class value chain and delivering service excellence.
3) Create the product portfolio of the future – creating the healthiest products for consumers and growers through enhancing our core product portfolio, expanding into new demand spaces and executing commercialisation with excellence.
Zespri will use a number of metrics across key focus areas to measure progress against its ambition to become the world’s healthiest fruit brand (see Additional information).
Jason Te Brake says Zespri’s purpose to help people, communities and the environment thrive through the goodness of kiwifruit remains unchanged.
“Our industry has succeeded by being forward-looking, innovative and working together. Our 2035 strategy captures that and sets us up to keep growing value for New Zealand and our global partners, and to deliver the healthiest fruit experience to consumers around the world.”
The metrics Zespri will use across key focus areas to measure progress against its ambition to become the world’s healthiest fruit brand are:
For consumers -
Brand Premium: Zespri will track Brand Premium across its current core 15 markets. Today, 40 percent of these markets achieve a Brand Premium score above 110. The ambition is to lift this to 100 percent of our core markets achieving BP >110. Brand Premium reflects consumers’ willingness to pay more for Zespri Kiwifruit compared with other fruit brands.
Top of mind brand healthiest in fruit: Zespri will establish a baseline for how it currently performs as the top of mind brand associated with being the healthiest fruit in core 15 markets. From this baseline, it will set clear 5 year and 10 year targets.
For growers -
Grower net satisfaction: This will be measured through regular grower surveys. While the current score for New Zealand growers sits at 80, this metric has shown significant volatility in recent years (having been below 50 just two years ago). Zespri’s long‑term target is to achieve and sustain a score above 70.
OGR (weighted average; New Zealand and Zespri Global Supply): In both New Zealand and Zespri Global Supply growing regions, Zespri is targeting OGR growth which outperforms inflation, with an ambition to reach between 1.5 and 2 times the current baseline by 2035.
For Zespri people -
Employer of choice: Zespri will baseline its current Employer of choice performance using established people and engagement measures. From this starting point, it will set a clear 2035 target.
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