Promoting kiwifruit German-style, as the SunGold variety is launched on the market.

German consumers have voted Zespri's SunGold variety as fruit and vegetable product of the year, the first time a fruit has been so honoured.

The award was based on a survey by Lebensmittel Praxis, one of Germany's most important grocery trade publications. Previously the award had been won only by vegetable products.

This season is the second that SunGold has appeared in German shelves. It is the variety that replaced the previous most popular gold variety, Hort16A, that suffered after the Psa bacteria hit orchards in 2010.

Germans have bought 1.36 million trays of SunGold in 2015, and 7.21 million trays of green for a value of $113 million. This compares to 300,000 trays SunGold and 5.86 million trays of green in 2014.

SunGold has proven to be a highly productive variety, surpassing Hort16A.

Marketing of this year's European crop has been stepped up, based on a Europe-wide strategic plan overseen by Zespri's Belgium-based European headquarters.

Zespri's 65 promoters gave away around 165,000 individual SunGold kiwifruits to people in Düsseldorf, Hamburg and Berlin during special tasting events.

These tastings were accompanied by wide-reaching PR and advertising campaigns, the latter featuring billboards, radio and television spots, collaborations with print and online media, and social media promotions.

A national roadshow, meanwhile, saw 15 Zespri-branded vehicles visit participating markets.

Germany has long been an important market for New Zealand kiwifruit, with consumers especially keen on its health benefits.