The winners of the 2021 Asia Fruit awards
Peter McPherson, General Manager – Berry International, Costa
Celebrating excellence and outstanding achievement in Asia’s fresh produce business, the 2021 Asia Fruit awards were announced at the online Asiafruit Congress on September 28.
The winner in the marketing campaign category was the Joyvio durian campaign by fresh fruit brand Joy Wing Mau, which last year became the official fruit supplier of the Chinese Women’s Volleyball Team. Special mention was made of one of the short films released in the run up to the recent Olympics which depicted the team’s coach, in the eyes of her daughter, as unbeatable, but also warm and sensitive on the inside – just like the Joyvio durians – and creating an emotional connection that resonated strongly with consumers.
The importer of the year award went to Suri Agro Fresh, a leading national fruit distributor in India, for its advances including significant investments in distribution infrastructure such as cold chain facilities, keeping business going strong despite the massive challenges the pandemic has posed in India, and initiatives such as
a retail development program to provide cold chain deliveries and marketing support to traditional retailers as well as capitalising on health and wellness trends to market fruit to Indian consumers.
Produce retailer of the went to NTUC FairPrice, a supermarket chain based in Singapore described as reinventing the large retail format, leading the way with in-store digital integration and being committed to ensuring groceries are affordable and accessible to its country’s residents. Its efforts during the pandemic have included the launch of mobile stores to reach elderly and more vulnerable people.
The impact award was won by Australia’s Costa group for its joint venture with Driscoll’s set up in 2015 to grow berries in the southern China province of Yunnan.
Described as a genuine success story, the joint venture is said to have had notable impacts in a number of areas, including bringing world-leading growing systems, technologies and farming expertise to China, as well as premium intellectual property varieties, with the Yunnan berries consistently retailing for a much higher price than imported berries in China. It is also said to be having a clear impact in terms of poverty alleviation in the communities where it operates.
