Southern Produce

What Southern Produce does

Southern Produce Ltd. is a New Zealand-based produce marketing company founded in the 1990s, headquartered in Te Puna in the Bay of Plenty near the Port of Tauranga. It operates a direct-to-retail model supplying avocados, kiwifruit, kiwiberries, and blueberries to supermarket chains and wholesale customers both domestically and internationally. Through the AVOCO joint venture with Primor Produce — combining New Zealand's two largest avocado exporters — the company is NZ's largest avocado exporter, with the AVANZA sub-brand representing approximately 65% of NZ's avocado export volume into Asia and AVOCO representing a comparable share into Australia.

The company's export network covers Australia, Asia, North America, Europe, and the Pacific, with named US distribution relationships including ProAct USA (foodservice) and AJ Trucco (east coast kiwifruit specialist). It owns a pre-pack operation in Te Puke that produces value-added punnets and netted bags for retail programs, and imports Italian kiwifruit to provide year-round supply continuity. The product portfolio is sold under registered trademarks including AVOCO, AVANZA, Southern Kiwi, Southern KiwiBerry, and Team Kiwi.

Southern Produce is privately held with no disclosed revenue or funding history and a headcount of 11-50 employees. Its commercial differentiation rests on direct-to-retail supply chain efficiencies, integrated shipping/logistics operations, food safety and category management capabilities, and incumbency in NZ's primary horticultural regions (Far North, Northland, Bay of Plenty, Waikato, Nelson). Kiwiberry represents a pioneer growth category, distributed by airfreight into Australia, Japan, North America, and the United Kingdom.

Name

Southern Produce

Legal name

Southern Produce Ltd.

Website

https://southernproduce.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Southern Produce is a New Zealand privately-held produce marketer that supplies avocados, kiwifruit, kiwiberries, and blueberries to supermarket chains and wholesalers domestically and internationally via a direct-to-retail model, and is NZ's largest avocado exporter through its AVOCO joint venture with Primor Produce.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fresh Produce Distribution

NAICS

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Merchant Wholesalers (424480)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYAFAIACAH

Import / Export Produce Wholesale (Cross-Border Trading)

Agriculture & Food Production/Food Distribution & Wholesale/Produce (Fresh Fruit & Vegetable) Wholesale

SECONDARYAFAIABAE

Fresh Produce Wholesale (Fruit & Vegetables)

Agriculture & Food Production/Food Distribution & Wholesale/Grocery & Supermarket Wholesale

SECONDARYAFAIACAD

Fresh Cut / Value-Added Produce Wholesale (Pre-Cut, Packaged, Salad Kits)

Agriculture & Food Production/Food Distribution & Wholesale/Produce (Fresh Fruit & Vegetable) Wholesale

SECONDARYCRAOAAAC

Fresh Produce Wholesale Distribution

Consumer Products & Retail/Wholesale, Distribution & Category Management/Food & Beverage Wholesale Distribution

Keywords

• Fresh produce supply
• Avocado export
• Kiwifruit distribution
• Fresh fruit wholesale
• Produce marketing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Tauranga

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Fresh Produce Sales - Domestic: Southern Produce markets avocados, blueberries, kiwifruit, and kiwiberries to New Zealand supermarkets and wholesalers in both loose bulk and value-added pre-packaged forms (punnets and netted bags). The company operates a pre-pack operation in Te Puke for retail programmes domestically and overseas.
2. Fresh Produce Export Sales: Export of premium New Zealand produce to international markets including Australia, Asia, North America, and Europe. Southern Produce is New Zealand's largest avocado exporter as AVOCO in partnership with Primor Produce, and exports kiwiberry under the Southern KiwiBerry brand across multiple international markets.
3. Italian Kiwifruit Import: Import of kiwifruit from Italy to provide customers with extended period of supply year-round. Italy is the second largest kiwifruit producer in the world after China.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Southern Produce Ltd. is a New Zealand-based produce marketing company that supplies premium fresh produce — avocados, kiwifruit, blueberries, and kiwiberries — to domestic supermarkets and wholesalers, and exports to Australia, Asia, North America and Europe. It operates a direct-to-retail model with a pre-pack operation in Te Puke, an integrated shipping and logistics division, and major export brands AVOCO and AVANZA in partnership with Primor Produce.

Product overview

Southern Produce is a New Zealand-based produce supplier and exporter operating a direct-to-retail model. The company markets a portfolio of fresh produce products including avocados (exported under AVOCO and AVANZA brands in partnership with Primor Produce), blueberries, kiwifruit (under Southern Kiwi/Team Kiwi brands for domestic and Australian markets, with imported Italian kiwifruit for extended supply), and kiwiberries (under the Southern KiwiBerry brand). Southern Produce also operates a pre-pack operation in Te Puke for value-added packaging. The products are supplied domestically to supermarkets and wholesalers, and exported to markets across Asia, Australia, North America, and Europe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Avocados

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Primor ProducecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouthern Produce and Primor Produce formed The New Zealand Avocado Company Ltd (AVOCO) to export avocados under the AVOCO trademark. This is the partnership of New Zealand's two biggest avocado exporters. They also collaborate on the AVANZA brand for Asian markets, which represents approximately 65% of New Zealand's avocado export volume into Asia.
• Team KiwiminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTeam Kiwi (TLK) logo appears on the Southern Produce website as a marketing brand for kiwifruit, representing the collaborative marketing of New Zealand kiwifruit.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Calavo Growers: Calavo Growers is a US-based avocado marketer and distributor with global supply. It competes with Southern Produce/AVANZA in North American and Asian retail channels and shares a similar direct-to-retail, brand-led export strategy.
• Seeka Limited: Seeka is a major New Zealand kiwifruit and avocado grower-packer-marketer with significant export operations. It directly overlaps with Southern Produce in NZ kiwifruit and avocado sourcing, post-harvest operations, and supply to retail and wholesale customers.
• Westfalia Fruit: Westfalia Fruit is a leading global avocado supplier with operations across multiple origins. It is comparable to Southern Produce in its category specialization, year-round supply capability, and focus on premium retail and foodservice customers internationally.
• Mr Apple: Mr Apple is a large New Zealand apple and pear exporter with significant presence in Asian markets. It shares Southern Produce's Bay of Plenty operational base, NZ horticulture sourcing, and direct-to-retail export strategy into Asia.
• Jingold: Jingold is a leading Italian kiwifruit marketer and one of Southern Produce's import sources for counter-seasonal supply. It is a direct comparable in kiwifruit category management, brand-led marketing, and global retail customer base.
• Primor Produce: Primor Produce is Southern Produce's joint venture partner in AVOCO and AVANZA and is described as NZ's other largest avocado exporter. Both companies share the same domestic sourcing regions, customer segments (supermarkets, wholesalers, export retailers), and product focus on premium New Zealand fresh produce.
• T&G Global (BayWa Global Produce): T&G Global is a New Zealand-headquartered fresh produce marketer exporting apples, berries, and other fruits globally. It shares Southern Produce's direct-to-retail export model, NZ origin, and customer base in Asia, Australia, and North America.

Broad incumbents

• Mission Produce: Mission Produce is the largest global avocado grower-marketer with year-round supply across multiple origins. It is directly comparable to Southern Produce's AVOCO/AVANZA business in avocado category management, export logistics, and retail customer base.
• Zespri International: Zespri is the world's leading marketer of kiwifruit and a dominant New Zealand kiwifruit exporter. It competes with Southern Produce's Southern Kiwi/Team Kiwi brand in domestic and Australian markets and operates at far greater scale across the same retailers and channels.

Regional players

• Oppy (David Oppenheimer Group): Oppy is a North American fresh produce grower-marketer-distributor with global sourcing. It is comparable to Southern Produce as a multi-category produce marketer serving major North American retailers, though it operates primarily on the opposite side of the supply chain to Southern Produce's exports.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southern-produce

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Southern Produce