Big promotion for Californian Kiwifruit

Press, 3 September 1982, Page 18

Big promotion for Californian Kiwifruit

From

JOHN HUTCHISON,

in San Francisco The California Kiwifruit Commission is ready to embark on its first full-scale promotion campaign. It will spend SUS2BO,OOO in advertising, publicity and point-of-purchase activity in several large cities in the United States and Canada, and will devote another SUS3O.OOt) to market research. The campaign will start in September and run through the early part of 1983. A staff member of the commission in Carol Francis, said that Mr Donald Brash, of. the New Zealand Kiwifruit Authority, has been informed of the campaign. An executive of the advertising agency employed by the commission, said, “We must co-operate with New Zealand to make promotions complement each other.’’ The California commission recently re-elected its chairman, Mr George Tanimoto, and is presently interviewing prospects to replace its salaried president. Mr Paul S. Lessig, who recently resigned.. Mr Tanimoto estimates that production in California will rise this year to 2.5 million flats, in comparison

with 1.5 million last year. About 2500 hectares are planted, and he sees production increasing for the next decade. The United States Department of Agriculture has just announced the establishment of standards for American kiwifruit and will put them into effect on September 9. They are voluntary, and were adopted with fairly general support of growers and shippers.. There will be three grades: “U.S. Fancy.” calling for mature, clean, well-formed and carefully packed fruit, and lesser grades called “U.S. No. 1” and “U.S. No. 2.”