At Zespri we are on a mission to help people, communities, and the environment thrive through the goodness of kiwifruit, and we are excited to establish a partnership with Brighter Bites, a nonprofit who gives kids access to fresh, nutritious food and has delivered over 50 million pounds of produce along with at home nutrition education to support healthy habits.

A Community-Driven Dynamic Duo  

Zespri Kiwifruit has partnered up with Houston-based nonprofit Brighter Bites whose mission is to create communities of health through fresh food. Brighter Bites is a comprehensive school program that increases access to fresh fruits and vegetables combined with nutrition education for obesity prevention among low-income children and their families. They strive to help increase the demand for fresh fruits and vegetables, leading to improved family eating habits and ultimately improved health outcomes.  

At Zespri we are on a mission to help people, communities, and the environment thrive through the goodness of kiwifruit. Collaboration to positively impact communities around the world is of major importance to us - it’s part of our global commitment. This partnership allows both organizations to support families in need with not only tasty & nutritious Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit but also encourage healthier eating habits in an engaging way. Just one serving of our refreshingly sweet SunGold kiwi is packed with 20 vitamins and minerals and contains 3x the vitamin C of an orange, making it the perfect tasty & nutritious snack for families. 

Delivering Fresh Kiwifruit Directly Into Families’ Hands  

Since 2012, Brighter Bites has grown to serve families and students in food deserts across nine major metropolitan areas and over 50 million pounds of fresh produce. Zespri Kiwifruit’s partnership enables the organization to continue providing for underserved communities and expand its programming throughout the country. 

Through this partnership, Zespri Kiwifruit provides SunGold Kiwi for Brighter Bites’ programming to schools in California, New York, and Washington D.C. Our giving season begins in the summer and runs through the Fall with distribution of kiwifruit & coupons.

In addition to providing fresh fruit, Zespri is supplying additional educational resources, including kiwi nutrition education and recipes, to students and their families to encourage healthy habits. To shake things up for the 2022 school year,  Zespri & Brighter Bites is hosting a kiwi art challenge for students to participate in for a chance to win a gift bag with Brighter Bites and Zespri swag. 

2022 is the Brighter Bites 10 year anniversary and Zespri is celebrating their success alongside the Brighter Bites community. Zespri is proud to be a highlighted donor for Brighter Bites’ 10th year birthday celebration this November in Houston, Texas, which will honor the company in its efforts to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to communities throughout the country.  

Looking Forward To The Future  

The word is out - we’re excited about our partnership with the Brighter Bites team and look forward to supporting communities around the country together. This partnership will help implement new healthy habits into low-income families homes so they can create something even better: healthy lifestyles. With your support, we can help even more families nourish their children and teach them lifelong healthy eating habits.

Click here to learn more about Brighter Bites.  

Click here to donate and support Brighter Bites’ mission.