The kiwifruit is one of New Zealand's major exports, and seeds from the Chinese gooseberry were brought to the Pacific nation in the early 20th century and successfully cultivated and exported.
Now, growers in New Zealand are considering bringing the fruit back to China during New Zealand's off-season so as to meet year-round global demand.
Nowadays, New Zealand kiwifruit are collectively marketed and exported by ZESPRI, and global sales rose 22 percent last year to 1.9 billion U.S. dollars. Behind the scenes, scientists are cultivating thousands of different seedlings as well.
Twenty million dollars is spent every year developing new varieties, including a red fruit that might rival the yellow SunGold that's expected to earn New Zealand a staggering forty billion U.S. dollars over the next twenty years.
New Zealand's love affair with the Chinese gooseberry dates back to 1904 when school teacher Isabel Fraser brought seeds home from China. The gooseberries were successfully cultivated and exported, and because U.S. buyers wanted a more popular name, they were called 'kiwifruit'.
Growing on vines under a lush green canopy, kiwifruit have become a major export industry and a tourist attraction for New Zealand.
