Here are 24 facts about Kiwifruit.
Some you’ll know, but I’m pretty sure some of the kiwifruit facts are unusual and will be new to you. Check out the video on number 19.
Maybe you can beat the world record?
A green kiwifruit ready to eat.
24 FACTS ABOUT KIWIFRUIT
1. The kiwifruit is also known as Chinese gooseberry and kiwi.
2. You can buy green kiwifruit and gold kiwifruit throughout New Zealand.
3. Te Puke (in the Bay of Plenty) is the kiwifruit capital of the world, with a large kiwifruit sign.
4. The Bay of Plenty is where ~80% of the kiwifruit in New Zealand are grown commercially.
5. If you’re following a recipe and need a kiwifruit alternative, try strawberry and lime juice.
6. The people who work on kiwifruit orchards are primarily backpackers on working holidays in New Zealand1, and migrant workers from the Pacific Islands.
7. Zespri, one of the largest marketers of kiwifruit, picked, packed, and sold 167 million trays (worth ~$3 billion) of kiwifruit over the 2018/2019 season.
8. The average weight of kiwifruit is 76g (this will vary of course).
9. For those picking kiwifruit based on weight, each kiwifruit earns them about $0.003. They need to pick 333 kiwifruits to get $1. The minimum wage in NZ is $20/hour.
A kiwifruit in the supermarket.
10. To ensure that ripe kiwifruit is available year-round, Zespri has kiwifruit orchards in Italy.
11. A kiwifruit is usually edible when they’re on the shop shelf. They should be a little tender, similar to an avocado.
12. The most common way to eat a kiwifruit is to cut one in half and scoop the flesh out with a spoon.
13. Some people will eat the skin of the kiwifruit.
14. The green kiwifruit has a taste that’s fresh, tangy, and somewhat sweet. There are different types of gold kiwifruit, but they’re generally sweet than the green kiwi.
15. Kiwifruit has the same, if not more potassium than a banana.
16. Both types of kiwifruit are low on the FODMAP and glycemic index.
The giant kiwifruit in Te Puke.
17. There are lots of recipes that utilize kiwifruit.
18. One of the 100’s of things to do in New Zealand includes taking a tour of a kiwifruit orchard.
19. Ashrita Furman holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest time to peel and eat three kiwifruit (21.1 seconds). He also holds a few other kiwi world records including this one:
20. You can use the kiwifruit as a base for a cleansing DIY facemask.
21. Kiwifruit came from China originally (evidence dates them back to the 1100s).
22. Commerical plantings starting popping up in New Zealand in the early 1900s and were soon popular with British and American servicemen during the Second World War.
23. Kiwifruit growers started calling the Chinese gooseberry “kiwifruit” in the 1960s as a marketing ploy. This was a great marketing play that caught on 🙂
24. The kiwifruit plant looks like a climbing shrub, it’s very woody.
Gold kiwifruit for sale.
Do you know any interesting facts about kiwifruit?
Email me jub@churnewzealand.com or share your facts in the comments below.
Love yourself some facts? I’m always adding to Chur New Zealand’s post containing fun facts about New Zealand.
Hey, it’s Jub here. I’m the guy behind Chur New Zealand, helping you have the best time hiking, trekking, walking…whatever you want to call it…in NZ. I’m based in Queenstown and am always out and about exploring trails, old & new. If you have any questions, reach out.