kiwifruit
kiwi
English (New Zealand marketing)
“A Chinese gooseberry got renamed after a flightless bird — the most successful fruit rebranding in history.”
The kiwifruit is native to China, where it was called 獼猴桃 (míhóutáo, 'macaque peach'). New Zealand horticulturists imported seeds in 1904 and began commercial cultivation.
The fruit was first called 'Chinese gooseberry' in New Zealand. But in the 1950s, during Cold War tensions, 'Chinese' was a marketing liability. Exporters needed a new name.
In 1959, they chose 'kiwifruit' — after New Zealand's national bird, the kiwi. The fuzzy brown fruit does resemble the flightless bird. The rebranding worked spectacularly.
New Zealand now exports $2 billion of kiwifruit annually. A Chinese fruit with a New Zealand bird name conquered the world. Marketing created a word that created an industry.
Related Words
Today
Kiwifruit is now produced in Italy, China, and many other countries. But the New Zealand name stuck — even in China, where the fruit originated.
A Chinese gooseberry, renamed for a Māori bird, became a global fruit. The word is pure marketing — and purely effective.
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