Origin

Kiwifruit comes from China

Centuries ago in China, Han Chinese in the Yang-Tse-Kiang valley prized the little green fruit for its revitalizing properties. The vine on which it grows was cultivated both as an ornamental plant and a fruit tree.

In 1750, the French Jesuit Father Chéron d'Incarville brought specimens back to Europe. By the end of the nineteenth century, several plants had acclimatized in Euopean Botanic Gardens. Kiwifruit itself arrived in France in 1904.

The culture of the kiwifruit developed in New Zealand, and took its name from the bird that is the country's symbol. Later, towards the end of the sixties, it began to be cultivated in Europe.

Kiwifruit production in France

Kiwifruit produced in France is well-known for its quality. Because the fruit arrived recently in France there has not been time for its natural insect pests to become established, and it is treated only to obtain a fruit with a better appearance and taste.

The South-West of France, in particular, offers an excellent environment : the rich soil and warm, wet oceanic climate provide the ideal growing conditions for the plant.

The Adour Kiwifruit

Growers in the foothills of the Pyrenees, in the Adour country of the Landes and the Departments that surround it, were the first to cultivate kiwifruit, thirty years ago.

Today, kiwifruit production has become the region's economic symbol, with over 350 committed growers. The "Pays de l'Adour" now accounts for one quarter of national production and is the largest kiwifruit-growing area in France.