California Bountiful - September-October 2021 Issue

California farmers think shoppers will be sweet on new varieties

ruit

Story by Ching Lee • Farm photos by Christian Parley

Thanks to year-round visibility in many produce aisles, kiwifruit has come a long way from its beginnings as the Chinese gooseberry and its status as a rare fruit grown mostly by backyard hobbyists. Now that the green-f leshed fruit has become a familiar item in grocery stores, Tulare County farmer Doug Phillips is working to expand the spectrum. He’s been growing kiwifruit for decades, always looking for newer varieties he could bring to market, including ones with gold and red f lesh, which he described as sweeter than the standard, green-f leshed Hayward, the most popular commercial variety. His newest plantings include a kiwifruit with golden f lesh and a red starburst center, the vines of which are f inal ly coming into ful l production, with more fruit reaching more markets this year. The hope, Phillips said, is that greater availability of new and different kiwifruit varieties would catch the eye of shoppers, generate market buzz and boost sales. Ripe for growth “We think that by introducing some new red and gold (varieties) to the traditional green category, it’s going to create more excitement and people may be more inclined to try kiwis,” he said. Pointing to a trend already taking place in New Zealand, Phillips said he foresees more new varieties of red and gold kiwifruit coming to the produce section, along with new and sweeter green-f leshed varieties. California farmers produce nearly all the U.S.-grown kiwifruit crop on about 4,400 acres in the Central Valley. The state’s first plantings date to the 1930s, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Introduction Station in Chico grew experimental vines, according to the University of California, Davis. It was not until the late 1970s that Ca l i fornia farmers produced their f irst signi f icant commercial crop, UC noted.

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