The Kiwi Fruit Was Named After the Kiwi Bird

The fuzzy brown fruit we know as kiwi was originally native to China and called the Chinese gooseberry. When New Zealand farmers began exporting it to the United States in the 1950s, the unusual name proved unpopular with American consumers. In a clever marketing move, New Zealand agricultural circles rebranded the fruit as kiwifruit in 1959 to associate it with the countrys iconic flightless bird. The kiwi bird had been known by its Maori name for centuries, with the first printed use dating back to 1835. By the time the fruit was renamed, the bird had been called kiwi for over 120 years. The strategy worked brilliantly, international sales soared, and today Italy and New Zealand are the top global producers of kiwifruit. The bird came first, but the fruit made the name famous worldwide.