A kiwifruit by any other name

"Kee Wee" kiwifruit packaging 

"Kee Wee" kiwifruit packaging showing country of origin

The kiwifruit, also known as a "Chinese Gooseberry", is a fruit native to China. It is called the kiwifruit because farmers in New Zealand were the first to cultivate the fruit on a commercial basis.

For years New Zealand farmers were able to keep their methods secret, but since 1970, when kiwifruit were first commercially produced in Italy, more and more countries have emerged as suppliers.

Now, according to this bag of "Kee Wee" from Oppenheimer the fruit could come from any of five countries; Italy, Greece, Chile, New Zealand, or the United States of America. Why the additional countries? Probably two reasons, seasonality and price. We expect to have all fruits and vegetable in the stores year round, and growing seasons don't always cooperate with that goal. Producing in five different countries means that there is a greater likelihood of fresh fruit at any time of the year.

But regardless, most of us will still call them kiwifruit and associate them with New Zealand.