The kiwi berry, also known as the hardy kiwi, is a cousin of the kiwi fruit. However, it’s smaller – about the size of a grape – and its skin is hairless, meaning the whole fruit can be eaten. You'll most likely be seeing them in plastic pots of 12 berries, costing around €2.50.

The whole effort is the work of the fruit auction market in Hoogstraten, Antwerp province, and the bio-engineering department of Ghent University College, who have together developed and streamlined everything, from planting and harvest to marketing and distribution.

“This innovative, home-grown product deserves a place in the gastronomic world,” said Wouter Van der Veiren, chef and owner of the restaurant Clandestino in Temse, who has lent his name to the campaign as ambassador. He’s developed recipes using the fruit in combination with pork, shrimp and coconut.

Flanders now has 16 kiwi berry producers, and the harvest is expected to be around 20 tonnes this year. “The kiwi berry is good news for the fruit sector, which is having a hard time these days because of bad weather, international competition and high energy prices,” commented Gaston Opdekamp, director of the Hoogstraten auction.