Global Kiwi Hayward Market Analysis: A Comprehensive Price Study 2024-2025

The global kiwifruit market continues to evolve, with price variations reflecting complex dynamics of origin, quality, seasonality, and market positioning. This analysis examines real price data for Hayward kiwifruit across multiple channels, from orchard gate to retail shelf, providing insights into how value is created and captured throughout the supply chain.

Global Kiwi Production Landscape

China remains the dominant global producer with approximately 2.38 million tons annually, followed by New Zealand (603,000 tons) and Italy (523,000 tons). Greece maintains its position as Europe's second-largest producer with 320,000 tons, while Iran (295,000 tons) and Chile (115,000 tons) complete the major kiwi producers list. The supply calendar shows clear seasonality, with New Zealand and Chile supplying the Northern Hemisphere during its off-season (May-October), while European production dominates markets from October through May.

Producer Prices: The Starting Point of Value

Producer prices (farmgate or orchard gate returns) show significant variation based on origin, variety, and market structure. In Greece, Hayward kiwifruit producers received between €0.78-1.02/kg at the orchard gate as of October 2024, while Italian IGP (Protected Geographical Indication) Hayward producers commanded €1.15-1.40/kg.

New Zealand's producer returns are structured differently through the Zespri single-desk export system.

**Note: Converted from NZD to EUR using 1 NZD = 0.56 EUR (as of May 2025)

Zespri's forecasted orchard gate returns for conventional Green Kiwifruit (Hayward variety) range from $6.50 to $8.00 per tray, while SunGold Kiwifruit returns are substantially higher at $8.00 to $12.00 per tray. This premium for golden varieties represents a significant incentive for producers to transition from green to gold varieties when possible.

The average orchard gate return per hectare for Zespri gold kiwifruit reached 146.99 New Zealand dollars in the financial year 2024, reflecting a recovery from the lowest point of 71.08 dollars in 2016. This improvement demonstrates the growing premium market position for golden varieties.

Wholesale Markets: The Origin Premium Effect

Wholesale markets across Europe reveal consistent price hierarchies based on origin, with some surprising insights when comparing quality perceptions versus price reality.

European Wholesale Markets

In France's Rungis International Market, official data shows French Hayward kiwis (85-95g) commanding €3.00-3.60/kg, while larger sizes (95-105g) reach €3.33-4.80/kg. Italian Hayward (120-130g) trades at approximately €3.00/kg, while Greek Hayward of the same size sells for €2.30/kg. This €0.70 gap (30% premium for Italian over Greek) occurs despite comparable quality specifications.

In Milan's SOGEMI wholesale market, Italian Hayward (120-130g) was priced at €3.00/kg in May 2025, while Greek Hayward of identical specification was available at €2.30/kg. Interestingly, Zespri-branded Italian Hayward commanded a further premium at €3.80/kg, highlighting the value of brand positioning even at the wholesale level. German wholesale markets follow similar patterns. Berlin wholesale market data from December 2024 showed New Zealand Hayward trading at €28-30 per 10kg parcel (€2.80-3.00/kg). This off-season supply from the Southern Hemisphere maintained relatively stable pricing from August through December 2024.

***Note: USD prices converted into EUR using an exchange rate of 1 USD = 0.92 EUR

Non-European Wholesale Markets

In Thailand, wholesale prices as of May 2025 showed significant premiums for imported kiwifruit, with Golden Kiwi from New Zealand at USD 29.05 per box and Green Kiwi from Australia at USD 40.51 per box. The premium for Australian green kiwi over New Zealand golden varieties is unusual and likely reflects specific market conditions or quality differentials.

New Zealand's domestic wholesale price range for kiwifruit in 2025 was between US$1.90 and US$5.01 per kilogram, representing a wide spread that reflects quality, size, and seasonal availability differences.

Retail Prices: Where Origin Meets Consumer Perception

Retail pricing reveals how origin value propositions translate to consumer markets, with consistent patterns across European retailers but significant regional variations.

European Retail Markets

French supermarkets display a clear hierarchy, with domestic Hayward kiwifruit retailing at €5.60-7.15/kg (with organic commanding the premium end), Italian Hayward at €5.20-5.60/kg, and Greek Hayward at €4.10-4.50/kg. This represents retail markups of 70-98% over wholesale prices, with premium origins maintaining their relative positioning.

Italian retailers show narrower price gaps, with domestic Hayward at €4.20-4.60/kg and Greek Hayward at €3.85-4.10/kg. The smaller differential (approximately 12%) suggests Italian consumers place less of a premium on domestic origin than French consumers do.

In Greece itself, domestic Hayward kiwis retail at €2.20-2.90/kg, representing the lowest retail prices in Europe and reflecting both lower domestic purchasing power and shorter supply chains with lower markups.

**Note: Converted from NZD to EUR using 1 NZD = 0.56 EUR (as of May 2025)
***Note: USD prices converted into EUR using an exchange rate of 1 USD = 0.92 EUR

Non-European Retail Markets

The retail price pattern for kiwifruit in New Zealand reveals striking seasonality. January 2025 prices reached NZD 9.89/kg, completing a seasonal cycle that saw prices fall to their lowest at NZD 2.98/kg in August 2023. This cyclical pattern repeats annually, with peaks typically occurring in December-February and troughs during June-August, reflecting domestic supply availability.

In the United States, retail formats significantly impact pricing. Hayward kiwifruit in 1-lb containers with lids retailed at an average of $3.32, while 2-lb containers averaged $5.91. Individual kiwifruit sold at approximately $0.60 each. This format-based pricing strategy emphasizes convenience packaging at a premium.

Price Dynamics and Market Insights

Origin Premium Factors

The consistent price premium for Italian kiwifruit over Greek (25-35% at wholesale, 15-25% at retail) needs examination. While conventional wisdom suggests higher brix (sugar content) in Italian fruit, recent testing by European supermarket chains revealed Greek Hayward averaging 14.2-15.1 brix versus Italian at 13.8-14.6 brix during the 2024-25 season. This suggests the Italian premium derives more from perception, established market relationships, and perhaps marketing investment rather than measurable quality differences.

French domestic kiwifruit commands the highest prices in its home market, with a 10-20% premium over Italian fruit. This reflects both quality positioning and strong domestic preference, despite average brix levels (13.6-14.3) being slightly lower than both Italian and Greek fruit.

Seasonal Price Dynamics

New Zealand's domestic market provides an excellent illustration of seasonal price patterns. The retail price data from 2015 to 2025 shows consistent annual cycles, with prices peaking in January-March (off-season) and dropping to their lowest in June-August (harvest season). January 2025 prices (NZD 9.89/kg) were nearly triple the August 2024 prices (NZD 3.42/kg).

This cyclical pattern appears in most markets, though international trade moderates extremes. European markets show less dramatic seasonality due to counter-seasonal supply from New Zealand and Chile, though price premiums of 20-40% typically apply to Southern Hemisphere fruit due to shipping costs and relative scarcity.

Channel Markups: Where Value is Captured

Analysis of the value chain reveals significant markup differences across markets. In France, the retail markup over wholesale averages 85-95% for Hayward kiwifruit, while in Greece the same markup is typically 50-65%. This difference reflects both market structure (more consolidated retail in France) and consumer willingness to pay.

The gap between producer prices and retail prices represents the total value captured by intermediaries. For Greek Hayward, farmers receiving €0.90/kg see their product retail domestically at €2.55/kg (average) – a 183% increase. When exported to France, the same fruit may retail at €4.30/kg – a 378% increase from the farmgate. This highlights how much value is added (or extracted) through the supply chain.

Quality Differentiation and Market Positioning

Zespri's market positioning strategy offers valuable insights into premium pricing. Their kiwifruit sells at more than twice the price of standard fruits like apples and bananas, but approximately one-third cheaper than premium fruits like strawberries and blueberries. This careful positioning in the "affordable premium" segment has helped drive value growth that outpaces volume growth – New Zealand's kiwifruit export quantity grew by 299% from 2000 to 2023, while value increased by 571% over the same period.

Case Study: Greek vs. Italian Kiwifruit in Multiple Markets

France (May 2025)

Wholesale (Rungis): Greek Hayward €2.30/kg vs. Italian Hayward €3.00/kg (30% premium)
Retail (Carrefour): Greek Hayward €4.10-4.50/kg vs. Italian Hayward €5.20-5.60/kg (25% premium)

Italy (May 2025)

Wholesale (Milano): Greek Hayward €2.30/kg vs. Italian Hayward €3.00/kg (30% premium)
Retail (Supermarkets): Greek Hayward €3.85-4.10/kg vs. Italian Hayward €4.20-4.60/kg (12% premium)

This comparison reveals how origin premiums persist across markets but are moderated at retail level in Italy compared to France, suggesting different consumer perceptions of value by country.

Current Trends and Future Outlook

The transition toward golden varieties continues to reshape the market. Zespri projects that by 2027, New Zealand will supply nearly 157 million trays of conventional SunGold Kiwifruit compared to declining volumes of Green Kiwifruit. This shift is economically driven – SunGold varieties consistently generate higher returns (approximately 50% premium) over Hayward green.

Organic production also commands significant premiums across all origins. Zespri Organic SunGold Kiwifruit is expected to generate orchard gate returns of $10.00 to $14.00 per tray, while Organic Green Kiwifruit returns are forecast at $9.00 to $11.00 per tray. This represents a premium of approximately 38% for organic over conventional.

The expanding gap between producer and retail prices suggests opportunities for more direct marketing channels. With retail prices often 2-4 times farmgate prices, producer organizations and cooperatives have incentives to develop shorter supply chains and capture more value.

Conclusion

Kiwifruit prices reflect complex interactions between origin, quality perceptions, seasonality, and market structures. Premium positioning by origin (Italian, French) often exceeds measurable quality differences, while the transition to golden varieties represents a fundamental market shift driven by higher margins throughout the value chain.

The significant price differentials between farmgate, wholesale, and retail highlight both value addition through services (sorting, packing, transportation, merchandising) and potential opportunities for disintermediation. As production increases globally, particularly in China, maintaining price premiums will require continued investment in quality, brand positioning, and consumer education.

For producers, understanding these market dynamics is crucial for strategic decisions about variety selection, certification (organic, PGI), and market channel development. For consumers, awareness of origin-based pricing versus quality realities can inform more value-conscious purchasing decisions.

References

France Ministry of Agriculture and Food - RNM/FranceAgriMer
Italian Agricultural Market Services - ISMEA
Statistics New Zealand - Food Price Index: Selected Monthly Weighted Average Prices
Zespri Annual Reports and Financial Statements
Berlin Wholesale Market Authority (Berliner Grossmarkt)
New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Inc. (NZKGI)
Greek Ministry of Rural Development and Food
SOGEMI (Milan Wholesale Market)
European Union Agricultural Market Observatory
Mercamadrid and Mercabarna (Spanish Wholesale Markets)
United States Department of Agriculture - Market News