Most people are likely familiar with kiwifruit but, if you haven't tried one before, you're in for a real treat.

Common green kiwis are about the size of an egg and have brown, fuzzy skin on the outside. Slice one open and you'll reveal bright green flesh dotted with an array of tiny black seeds. Green kiwis have a tangy-sweet, refreshing flavor – a mix of strawberry, citrus and melon.

Newer gold kiwis look just a bit different on the outside with smooth skin and a hard pointed crown at one end. The flesh of a gold kiwifruit is sunny yellow, and the edible seeds are black to red. Gold kiwifruit tastes tropical-sweet and mellow – a mix of mango and melon flavors.

Ripe kiwifruit should be soft to the touch, like a ripe peach or avocado, and can be enjoyed easily by slicing whole fruit in half and scooping out the tasty inside with a spoon, or by using in your favorite fresh fruit recipes, fruit salads, smoothies ... The uses for kiwifruit are limited only by the imagination.

Because kiwifruit is so unique, it is always a favorite with kids, who say it "feels funny - tastes great!" Health-conscious teens and adults will appreciate the refreshing burst of nutrition that accompanies every green or gold bite.

Kiwi Origins

The kiwifruit "Actinidia Deliciosa" belongs to the berry family of fruits. Descended from a wild Chinese vine, ZESPRI® GREEN Kiwifruit, or the Hayward variety, was nurtured in New Zealand in the early 20th century. Many kiwifruit varieties grow wild in China, but the Hayward variety proved superior in hardiness, with a notably long shelf life; attributes that have made it the most commercially grown kiwifruit variety in the world.

When first marketed in the early 1960s, green kiwis were known as Chinese Gooseberries. However as kiwifruit exports grew, the fruit was renamed "kiwifruit" after New Zealand's national bird, the brown flightless kiwi.

ZESPRI® GOLD Kiwifruit also has its origins in China, where several types of gold kiwifruit vines grow wild. Horticulturalists from New Zealand's Bay of Plenty imported Chinese "Actinidia Chenisis" seeds in 1987 and began the eleven-year process of developing the commercial variety using traditional cross-pollination and grafting techniques. ZESPRI® GOLD Kiwifruit was first introduced to North Americans in 1999.

The Perfect Growing Environment

At a time when environmental awareness is at the forefront of global consciousness, we can take comfort that ZESPRI® Kiwifruit growers also make environmental protection a priority. Isolated and pristine, with fertile volcanic soil and artesian irrigation water from the country's mountain ranges, it is no wonder that New Zealand grows some of the best kiwifruit in the world. No genetic modifications have been made to any ZESPRI® Kiwifruit variety at any time.

Look for the ZESPRI label to ensure quality.