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Speaker 1: Do you love ruby red Kiwi fruit? Because Zespri seems

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Speaker 1: to have a new star among its in the midst

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Speaker 1: three million trays of their ruby red Kiwi fruit will

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Speaker 1: be available this season, double last year's quota. That's three

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Speaker 1: million trays. That's eight hundred tons being shipped off here,

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Speaker 1: there and everywhere. A big win for growers and New

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Speaker 1: Zealand Kiwi Fruit Growers Incorporated. CEO Colin Bond is.

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Speaker 2: With me, good morning, good morning, Hey.

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Speaker 1: Where's this popularity for ruby red come from?

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Speaker 2: Ah? I think, like all of our other products, it's

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Speaker 2: about understanding our consumers first and what they need. Good

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Speaker 2: at investment and science and research over the years, and

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Speaker 2: we're really proud to be able to produce one of

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Speaker 2: the world's best red ki fruits.

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Speaker 1: Is it the taste or the look that makes it popular?

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Speaker 2: I think a combination of both. But again, like all

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Speaker 2: of our product categories, were not necessarily the most appealing fruit.

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Speaker 2: But it's the taste I think, and the knowledge that

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Speaker 2: it's a really healthy product. So I think we're on

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Speaker 2: the right side of global trends when it comes to

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Speaker 2: healthy even do.

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Speaker 1: Ken we's get a look in with this product? Or

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Speaker 1: is it all getting shipped off overseas.

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Speaker 2: No, given that we've now got three million trays this year,

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Speaker 2: then we're really hopeful that some of that fruit will

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Speaker 2: stay on shore and New Zealanders will be able to

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Speaker 2: see it in our local supermarkets too.

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Speaker 1: How much does having different types of key fruit actually

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Speaker 1: boost your overall business.

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Speaker 2: It's critically important. You know. We've got an industry that

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Speaker 2: was built on green key refruit and the fiber that

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Speaker 2: is known for. We've been able to build out that

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Speaker 2: category with gold key refruit, and now with an exciting

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Speaker 2: red variety, we're attracting new consumers to the category. So

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Speaker 2: the strategy has always been about having a product suite

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Speaker 2: full of the world's best key fruit, and we're absolutely

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Speaker 2: delivering that.

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Speaker 1: Do you expect to see more growers shift to that

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Speaker 1: particular brand of key fruit.

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Speaker 2: That's a great question. I mean, I think it's about diversification.

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Speaker 2: A lot of growers are looking at following that strategy.

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Speaker 2: A majority of our growth is already growing both green

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Speaker 2: and gold gold key reference and I think it's those

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Speaker 2: that are a little bit more more entrepreneurial that have

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Speaker 2: given the red variety you go, and certainly those that

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Speaker 2: were early to the variety are having some real success

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Speaker 2: with it, so we're hopeful that we can continue to

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Speaker 2: grow the category and that does mean more planting.

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Speaker 1: Hey, just from the practical point of view, how big

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Speaker 1: a deal is it for a grower to switch to

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Speaker 1: start growing a new variety, because it's not like they

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Speaker 1: can just conjureuct more land.

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Speaker 2: Is it?

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Speaker 1: They've got to convert, don't they? And how long does

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Speaker 1: that take?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right. With two options, you can do a

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Speaker 2: green field's development, so if you're starting from scratch, that

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Speaker 2: can be three or four years to get up to

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Speaker 2: profferblead production. Or they have the option of what they're

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Speaker 2: called cutting over, So that means moving from a green

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Speaker 2: or a gold variety and cutting across to the new

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Speaker 2: red and that would take a couple of years. So

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Speaker 2: there's an opportunity cost and that and that's what grow

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Speaker 2: have to weigh up.

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Speaker 1: Just for the reminders of the proportions here. So we've

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Speaker 1: got eight hundred tons of ruby red Kiwi fruit. Where

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Speaker 1: does that sit in terms of just the other varieties

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Speaker 1: and how much we send of the golden and the green?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, sure, it's proball be easier to talk trays three

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Speaker 2: million trays of red compares to around about sixteen million

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Speaker 2: trays of green, and there nearly one hundred and thirty

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Speaker 2: million trays of gold Kiwi fruit, so it's a very

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Speaker 2: small percentage, but it still plays an important role because

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Speaker 2: of the first fruit that gets to the market helps

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Speaker 2: us secure a shelf space and creates excitement for the categoris.

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Speaker 1: Excellent good stuff. Colin really appreciate your time this morning.

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Speaker 1: That is Colin Bond. He is a New Zealand ky

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Speaker 1: Fruit Grows Incorporated CEO. For more from the mic Asking Breakfast,

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Speaker 1: listen live to news talks that'd be from six am weekdays,

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