Healdsburg, California – Frieda Caplan known as the “The Kiwi Queen” from Frieda’s Specialty Produce was asked to share her success story at the International Kiwifruit Organization’s annual conference.
Caplan spoke candidly on her role in the transformation of New Zealand’s Chinese Gooseberry and it’s rebirth as the fuzzy Kiwifruit it is internationally known as today.
"We’ve always called kiwifruit our 18 year overnight success, because that’s how long it took to really catch on,” Caplan said to a group of about 50 international kiwi delegates from Italy, France, Spain, Chile, Korea, Portugal and New Zealand who attended the conference on September 24th in Healdsburg, California.
Caplan is widely known for her place in produce history as the woman who reinvented the Chinese Gooseberry in the early 1960s. Revamping it with a new name and introducing it to mainstream market buyers, Caplan helped this obscure fruit find a place alongside the apples and oranges of the produce aisles.
“In order to get chain store buyers to even try the fruit, I went to a local restaurant and made a deal … if they would make some fruit tarts with these Chinese Gooseberries, I would provide the fruit at no cost. And that’s how we finally got produce buyers interested. We actually fed them kiwifruit tarts right on the 7th Street market where my stall was located.”
Frieda renamed the fruit after she and a fellow produce broker realized it needed a consumer friendly name. Since the fuzzy headed gooseberry looked similar to the New Zealand native bird, The Kiwi, its name was a natural choice. The rest is specialty produce history.
“We normally don’t have speakers, but Frieda has been here since the beginning and it was appropriate to bring her in. People loved hearing her speak,” said John Fagundes, member of the California Kiwifruit Commission.
“She was the highlight of our conference; many people didn’t really know what it was like in the beginning and how the Kiwi got its name. So they loved it, it was an honor meeting Frieda for everyone.”
About Frieda’s Inc.
Frieda’s Inc. celebrates 50 years of innovation in fresh produce. Founded in 1962 by Frieda Caplan, Frieda's was the first wholesale produce company in the U.S. to be founded, owned and operated by a woman, and is still a family- and women-owned business today. With the mission of changing the way America eats fruits and vegetables, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 specialty items to U.S. produce departments, including Kiwifruit, Spaghetti Squash, Habanero Peppers, Black Garlic and many more. Learn more at www.friedas.com
Source: Frieda’s Inc.
