Four years ago, Peter McBride seized an opportunity. Ready to put his dairy farming days behind him, Peter joined his father Jim and his brother Murray to become ZESPRI™ GOLD Kiwifruit growers. Their operation, which includes five properties in New Zealand's Bay of Plenty, produced about 400,000 trays of the tropical-sweet, yellow-fleshed kiwifruit for the 2003 season.

"I was sick of milking cows," said Peter with a grin. "It was an exciting opportunity that ZESPRI™ GOLD Kiwifruit offered… It looked like a challenging and exciting new crop to grow, a very responsive plant to manage."

While Peter's participation in kiwifruit production is fairly new, his family has been involved in the industry since 1979. The McBrides now farm 83 hectares (205 acres) of gold kiwifruit, and 24 hectares (60 acres) of green kiwifruit. Among their operations is Lindisfarne, which is one of the largest gold kiwifruit orchards in New Zealand.

"We switched to gold, because we tasted the fruit and also noticed the children's preference for it," he said. "We felt it would be a winner. We also knew we could develop a new orchard and achieve good results in a short time. At the time, few were taking the opportunity, and the land was reasonable. Dairy farms were inexpensive, and so we took advantage of scale and timing, converting dairy farms to kiwifruit."

Now experienced with both varieties, Peter notes the different challenges involved in growing green and gold.

"Gold is more labor intensive, a higher risk crop to produce, and more expensive to grow, pick and pack," Peter said. "When harvesting and packing it is very easy to damage gold, and the extra care required adds a lot of cost to the product."

Because gold buds earlier than green, it is more frost prone. Due to its sweetness, gold kiwifruit makes a tasty treats for birds. It is also more vulnerable to damage from the wind. Gold also requires more nutrients and careful irrigation management, especially when producing young vines.

"However, gold can yield more when managed well," Peter said. "The vines are more vigorous than green. Good pollination results are easier with gold."

Currently, the McBrides are responsible for about five percent of the total ZESPRI™ GOLD Kiwifruit crop with plans to harvest one million trays by 2005.

Peter says that the most interesting parts of his job include coordinating the technical aspects of growing, irrigation and nutrient management. He also enjoys developing orchards from scratch and observing the change over time. Peter particularly welcomes the chance to discuss growing methods and ideas with other kiwi producers in other countries as well as grower friends in New Zealand.

When he finally gets the chance to relax, Peter likes to water ski and snow ski, fish, play golf and rugby, read, and follow sports on TV. He also enjoys spending time with his children: Zach, 12; Ben, 9; Jacob, 7, and Madison, 4 - as well as the occasional evening out with his wife Linda. Peter is working toward an MBA in agribusiness.

In addition to being a big believer in gold kiwifruit, Peter expresses the utmost confidence in the ZESPRI brand.

"ZESPRI™ Kiwifruit taste great. They are safe to eat, and the supply chain is carefully managed to deliver a consistent quality product," he says. "We do put a lot of effort into managing our end of the supply chain. ZESPRI™ GOLD Kiwifruit is labor intensive, difficult to handle, and expensive to grow. We are doing our absolute best to give the market what it wants."