A New Zealand company is celebrating the arrival of a new kiwifruit variety, which it grows in China and sells in Italy.

Turners and Growers says Italian consumers are getting their first taste of ENZARed – the world’s first commercialised red kiwifruit.

Turners and Growers Managing Director Jeff Wesley says the red kiwifruit are sweet and delicate in taste, with a creamy texture and strikingly red.

"The red part of the kiwifruit is very very healthy in terms of disease prevention. Good size, lovely creamy taste, consumers love the taste and a very different to Zespri gold or Enza gold or green kiwifruit." 

Mr Wesley says time will tell how red kiwifruit will stand up to PSA.  

"All we can really conclude that they seem to have greater resistance than Zespri gold— ENZA gold and ENZA red. But we won’t know probably for a year or so how much, or if it will survive."

Turners and Growers says it expects up to 200 hectares of ENZARed will be planted in Italy over the coming seasons and be in production here by 2013.