Ella Stephens, a seasonal employee, plants kiwiberry at Oregon State University’s North Willamette Research & Extension Center in Aurora, Ore. Stephens has worked at the farm for four summers, and she’ll soon become the head dance coach at Snow College in Utah. (Kyle Odegard/Capital Press)

AURORA, Ore. — Oregon State University recently planted one acre of kiwiberry vines under an imported Italian trellis system at its North Willamette Research & Extension Center.

One acre doesn’t sound like a lot of area, but for this emerging fruit it’s a big deal.

“I think it could be one of the largest kiwiberry research plots in the U.S.,” said Scott Lukas, an OSU small fruit researcher.

Kiwiberry, also called hardy kiwi, is from northern Asia, but vines grow well in Oregon and Washington.

The fruit, unlike its larger and fuzzier relative, is the size of grapes with smooth skin.

While it’s not well known, kiwiberry is gaining momentum and can be found in stores such as Costco.

Data with kiwiberry is hard to come by, as the USDA doesn’t track the crop. Lukas estimated there were about 50 acres in commercial production at farms two years ago, but he expects that has grown.

While OSU studies initially will focus on the variety Ananasnaya, which is widely seen as quality fruit, plantings will include 40 different selections.

That will provide a huge assortment of possibilities. There will be kiwiberry with green and red skin, green and red flesh, and large and small kiwiberries.

Lukas said there should be about 120 different kiwiberry plants total.

It will take about five years before the vines produce fruit.

Lukas said kiwiberry could fill a niche market and help Pacific Northwest growers by expanding their season with another small fruit in their portfolio.

Its September harvest doesn’t compete with any berries and the crop is picked unripe and packed, becoming ready to eat fresh in October and November.

“And it’s an outstanding fruit,” Lukas added.

Kiwiberry can’t be machine harvested yet, but researchers are trying to figure that out.

Scientists also are working on storing the fruit better so it ripens more consistently and hoping to make it last until the holidays.