The Mexican Kiwi Market

If you are a fresh fruit importer in Mexico, kiwi is one of the categories where your role as an international buyer is virtually irreplaceable. Unlike other fruits, where Mexico combines domestic production with occasional imports, kiwi depends almost entirely on external supply. In 2024, Mexico imported US$53.1M worth of fresh kiwis, which in practice represents nearly the entire supply available in the market.

For those importing this fruit, this means a different kind of responsibility than in other categories: it is not about supplementing local production during certain windows, but about building a reliable supply throughout the year.

Where does the kiwi entering Mexico come from?

Import origins are already distributed across several countries, with no single country holding an absolute dominant position:

• Chile: US$20M, the leading origin, accounting for approximately 38% of import value.
• Italy: US$16.8M
• United States: US$6.08M
• New Zealand: US$1.45M

This diversification is not accidental. Since no single supplier can cover Mexican demand throughout the entire year, supply is naturally organized across different hemispheres and production calendars.

For an importer, this is both good news and a coordination challenge: having more than one origin available reduces the risk of supply shortages, but it also requires managing different commercial relationships, transit times, and phytosanitary requirements depending on the country of origin.

What does this mean for your sourcing strategy?

If your operation depends on having kiwi consistently available, diversifying origins is no longer an option. It becomes an operational necessity. Some key considerations include:

• Planning around seasonal windows. Each origin covers a different period of the year. Mapping out in advance when each supplier comes into season allows you to avoid stockouts.
• Working with more than one supplier per origin. Relying on a single exporter, even from the leading origin country, exposes your operation to specific climate, logistics, or phytosanitary risks.
• Traceability and phytosanitary compliance by origin. Requirements may vary depending on the country of origin, so every new supplier requires a review of the relevant documentation before committing to a purchase.

What does phytosanitary compliance require when importing?

All imports of plant products into Mexico are subject to the requirements established by SENASICA:

• International Phytosanitary Certificate (IPC): the exporter must obtain this certificate, which confirms compliance with the required sanitary and phytosanitary conditions.
• Product- and origin-specific requirements: these can be consulted through SENASICA’s Phytosanitary Requirements Module for Imports, where applicable measures are reviewed according to the country of origin.
• Inspection at the point of entry: documentary review and, when applicable, physical inspection before the Import Certificate is issued.
• Verification at origin: for goods identified as posing a phytosanitary risk, a procedure that allows production, certification, and packaging conditions to be verified before the shipment enters Mexico.

The outlook toward 2026

Foreign trade data for 2025 in this category is still being consolidated, but the market structure shows no signs of changing: demand for kiwi in Mexico will continue to depend on external supply, simply because there is no significant domestic production to replace it.

For importers, this means that relationships with suppliers in Chile, Italy, the United States, and New Zealand will continue to be at the core of the operation, with room to add new origins that can help cover the windows where supply is currently tighter.

How Loads helps you secure your kiwi supply

Consistently importing kiwi is not only about finding the right supplier. It is about moving the product efficiently, on time, and with the financial support needed to sustain the operation throughout the year.

At Loads, we support Mexican importers across the three stages that make this possible:

• Trade: we connect you with reliable suppliers from different origins, supported by market intelligence and the documentation required by each country of origin.
• Logistics: we coordinate the movement of your product from point to point, including cold chain, border crossings, and phytosanitary compliance.
• Financing: we provide access to timely working capital, so cash flow never becomes the obstacle between a purchasing opportunity and your ability to act on it.

Ready to diversify and secure your kiwi supply all year round? Download the free ebook for a complete analysis of Mexico in the global fresh fruit landscape, or contact us to discuss your operation.