1904 is the year in which it all began. Isabel Fraser, a teacher in Wanganui in New-Zealand, returned from a trip to China with the black seeds of the Actinidia Deliciosa. Market gardener Alexander Allison planted these. In 1905 the first kiwis grew in New Zealand soil, still called Chinese gooseberries at the time.

1928 meant a break-through in kiwi growing. Horticulturalist Hayward Wright succeeded in developing an exceptional variety of the Chinese gooseberry. His variety is characterised by its oval shape, wonderful taste and its strong resistance to perishability. Up to the present time the Hayward variety is quasi synonymous for the popular green kiwi.

In 1934 Jim MacLouglin planted Chinese gooseberries on his land in Te Puke, in the Bay of Plenty. The volcanic soil and the mild climate on the north coast turned out to provide excellent growing conditions for the fruit. The first harvest turned up a bumper crop and was sold in the local market. Very soon all the land of MacLouglin – 3 hectares – was filled with Chinese gooseberries. 

18 years later, in 1952, MacLouglin gave the kiwi business a new boost. 20 crates of his fruit were shipped to England together with a load of lemons. They were marketed in Covent Garden, London. The new fruit was so well received that the buyer immediately ordered 1500 crates for the following season.

In 1959 the kiwi got its present name, named after the small New Zealand land bird and the nickname for the New Zealanders. (see: ‘why is a kiwi called a kiwi’)