Bite-sized kiwi berries are hitting supermarket shelves with availability forecast for around one month.
The short-season fruit is in-store at Marks & Spencer, Tesco and Waitrose as well as online via Ocado.com from now (Aug 30) until the end of September.
Grown on Herefordshire-based Withers Farm by producer George Leeds, production has been increasing every year over the last five years with three different varieties; Weili, Ananasnaya and Geneva.
Since 1958, the family-run fruit farm has evolved from a small, local farm serving wholesale markets using local labour, to one of the largest fruit farms in the country, supplying the major supermarkets and employing people from all over the world.
Alan Leeds began the farm business growing strawberries and apples and when George took over, he introduced blueberries to the existing crops. In 2012, he was one of the first UK farmers to start planting kiwi berries.
The fuzz-free fruit, originally native to northern China, can be eaten whole and do not need to be peeled which taps into the growing trend for on-the-go healthy snacks and conveniently-sized fruit.
Inside they resemble a regular kiwifruit, deep green in colour with a central ray and small black seeds.
This season, marketers BerryWorld has developed a new collection of kiwi berry recipes and images, celebrating the fruit’s zesty, zingy and snackable qualities, as well as the colour burst they add to dishes.
