What fruit was named after its uncanny resemblance to a small, furry, brown-green colored bird– that is also a national bird– and used to be called Chinese Gooseberry? It’s Northwest Natural’s flavor of the month, the kiwifruit!
Originating in Asia, the fruit is native to mainland China and Taiwan and commercially grown in New Zealand– where NWN sources their kiwi from– and California. With over 60 different species, the most commonly available include Hayward, which comprises Northwest Naturals’ Kiwi Juice Concentrate and Kiwi WONF. It’s a stable and reliable product year over year, and NWN’s Kiwi WONF are supplemental in case of shortages, product changes, or any environmental challenges.
Kiwis are considered a true berry with a furry brownish edible skin, though many prefer to forgo the peel due to its irritable side effects. Its inside is sweet, soft, and green-colored, with a slightly tangy finish. Kiwis provide a wide range of health benefits and contain about as much potassium as bananas and a high amount of Vitamin C, more than oranges, along with antioxidants, and fiber.
This fruit is mainly consumed raw, though it can be frozen and even cooked. It is an excellent choice for fruit chutneys, dressings, chilled soup, or it can be used in stunning fruit tarts. One can also bake the fruit, though, in our experience, it may lose its flavor; consuming it raw helps contain its flavor best. Though unique in its taste, kiwi pairs nicely with many other fruits such as strawberry & kiwi (classic!), kiwi & mango, and customer favorites include tropical fruit pairings like passion fruit and pineapple.
At NWN, we’ve crafted various applications using our quality Kiwi Juice Concentrate and Kiwi WONF. Applications range from beverages – both alcoholic and non-alcoholic including a CBD product and carbonated vodka – gummy candies, dessert sauce, dressing vinaigrette, and most recently, a kiwi panna cotta layered custard dessert.
Kiwifruit is well-known worldwide and is a great product that pairs with many other flavors. We are beginning to see an increase in its usage, especially amongst big-name companies, but like Plum, it’s not as popular as we would imagine. The NWN team would love to bring this tasty flavor to more products on the market and invite those who are interested in creating their own kiwi application to contact us!