It's a real Hunny!

Revolutionary new nectarine variety launches in New Zealand after two decades in development

A brand new eating experience is now in store for Kiwi summer fruit lovers with the arrival of the new Yummy Hunny nectarine – a genuinely different fruit to traditional nectarine varieties previously eaten in New Zealand.

The new golden flesh nectarines are soft eating with almost none of the fruit acidity typical of current yellow flesh nectarines.

Paul Paynter from The Yummy Fruit Company says that while new Yummy Hunnys look like other nectarines, they taste very different.

“Traditionally nectarines have a bit of a bite, a hit of acidity as well as some sweetness, but Yummy Hunnys have very low acidity. They have a much richer, more tropical taste and the lack of acidity means older people, children and anyone with a sweet tooth will definitely prefer them,” says Paul.

“Eat them alongside a standard nectarine and you won’t believe the difference.”

Yummy Hunnys are grown in the Hawkes Bay by the well known Paynter family, who started growing fruit around 1870.

Fruit lovers keen to try Yummy Hunnys will have to get in quick says Paul, with a short retail period for the country’s first commercial crop of the new variety.

“Yummy Hunnys will be available for around three weeks only, from 17 January across the country. Shoppers need to get in quick to get their share of this exciting new fruit, as we won’t be seeing them again until this time next year,” says Paul.

The release of Yummy Hunnys marks a significant milestone for the fruit, which has undergone almost two decades of breeding, testing and planting to produce the first commercial crop this January.

“The first crossings for Yummy Hunnys were made in the early 1990s in California. Ten years went into the breeding of the new variety, followed by a further decade importing the crossings, and then testing, planting and ultimately production of the fruit,” says Paul.

“These are not to be missed – in years to come we know they’ll be a quintessential Kiwi summer fruit enjoyed by many.”

Yummy Hunnys are now available in supermarkets nationwide. They can be identified with a Yummy Hunny sticker which features a Yogi Bear movie image.