Jingold Reinforces Commitment to China in New Season

After years of deep-rooted development on the Chinese market, the renowned Italian kiwifruit brand Jingold has earned widespread recognition among Chinese consumers. Its signature variety, Jintao, is prized for its well-balanced sweet-tart flavor and delicate texture, and it has become a leading representative of premium yellow-fleshed kiwifruit in China.

To ensure a stable, year-round supply to global markets, Jingold has established an extensive cultivation network spanning both hemispheres, with orchards in Northern Hemisphere origins such as Italy and Greece as well as Southern Hemisphere regions such as Chile.

At present, all Northern Hemisphere production regions have entered the harvest phase. During the current season, Jingold’s yellow-fleshed kiwifruit from key origins — including Italy, Greece and Portugal — have shown consistent quality performance, with total output estimated at approximately 30,000 metric tons. Production follows established Italian cultivation practices, ensuring adequate sunlight exposure and uniform fruit development. Through refined orchard management practices, the fruit achieves a stable balance of sweetness and acidity while maintaining a high vitamin C content.

The Jintao variety is characterized by strong post-harvest performance, with proven tolerance to extended cold storage and long-distance maritime transport. Even after more than one month of ocean shipment, fruit quality upon arrival remains at an excellent commercial standard.

Supplying China: Stability as the Core, Chinese New Year as the Key

For the key Chinese market, Jingold will continue to center its strategy this season on stable supply. In an interview with Produce Report, Federico Milanese, the company’s marketing manager, emphasized that even amid strong demand in Europe the company’s commitment to and focus on China remain unwavering.

This season, Jingold’s export volume to China is expected to remain steady, broadly in line with the previous season. Supply will continue to be led by the highly popular Jintao variety. The key export and sales window will be concentrated between January and March. In preparation for the upcoming peak in consumption around Chinese New Year, the company has already completed advance supply chain planning to ensure sufficient and stable availability throughout the festive period.

This commitment is rooted in Jingold’s decade-long engagement with the Chinese market. Through solid partnerships with leading retail channels, Jingold has become a key option for high-quality fruit gifting during the Chinese New Year holiday. In 2024, the brand officially launched its Chinese name, “奇焕” (qí huàn, meaning “vitality and renewal”) signaling a new phase in its localization strategy aligned with evolving expectations for quality living and premium fruit consumption.

Collaboration With SpongeBob: Captivating Consumers With Unique Packaging and Events

Across Europe, Jingold has launched a series of eye-catching brand marketing initiatives, centered around a strategic partnership with the globally popular SpongeBob SquarePants franchise. The company has officially teamed up with Paramount Pictures, rolling out synchronized promotional campaigns in Italy and Germany to coincide with the release of “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants.”

As part of the deal, during the movie’s promotional period from December 2025 to January 2026, Jingold incorporated the film’s iconic characters into its product packaging. Yellow-fleshed kiwifruit packs feature SpongeBob character stickers, while red-fleshed kiwifruit packs are adorned with Patrick Star stickers. This design was applied across the full range of 500-gram packs and three-count packs. Each special-edition package features a QR code, allowing consumers to enter a prize draw for movie ticket vouchers.

In Italy, Jingold further expanded the collaboration by launching a SpongeBob-themed Christmas gift box specially designed for the holiday season. The box contains 21 kiwifruit — seven green, seven gold and seven red — offering a visually engaging and festive presentation. A playful board game printed on the back of the box added an interactive, family-friendly element, enhancing the overall gifting experience. The design was subsequently shortlisted as a candidate for best fresh fruit and vegetable packaging in Italy.

In parallel, Jingold organized a series of in-store interactive activities at key retail chains in Italy and Germany. These initiatives effectively translated the online buzz surrounding the franchise into tangible in-store engagement, further reinforcing Jingold’s presence at the retail level.

Images: Jingold

This article was translated from Chinese. Read the original article.