Several examples of rare and expensive fruits at Melissa’s Produce in Los Angeles on May 22, 2024. LOS ANGELES - A US$396 (S$536) pineapple comes tucked into an ornate red box that unfurls like origami and is punched with breathing holes. A US$156 (S$211) melon, swaddled in foam netting, grew alone on a vine from which every other fruit was pruned, with the aim of making it extra sweet.
Luxury fruits, which have a long history in parts of Asia, are gaining popularity in the United States, as new varieties are being grown and imported, including those developed over several years by companies aiming to market unique-looking and unique-tasting produce. The US$396 pineapple – trademarked as the Rubyglow for its red skin, and extremely limited – recently sold out in the United States within a matter of weeks. Some of the fruits have long been given as gifts, especially in Japan and Korea.
That trend is catching on in the United States, as is the taste for flawless berries and melons that travellers may have tried overseas, produce experts said. And as the luxury goods industry has grown, so too has the interest in luxury fruit, said Ms Soyeon Shim, a scholar of consumer and financial behaviour at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “The market has become much more global,” she said.
Ms Shim added, “You can buy anything you want.” Ms Eve Turow-Paul, an author and expert in global food trends, described luxury fruits as being among the “couture food experiences” .
