Would you pay $14,000 for a bunch of grapes, or spend it on a Victoria Beckham handbag? In light of the super expensive overseas fruit fad in Hong Kong, we show you 10 fruits in the world that come with an exceptionally hefty price tag
In July 2016, the record for the most expensive single bunch of grapes sold at a wholesale auction in Japan was broken.
A bunch of mighty Ruby Roman grapes, found only in the Ishikawa Prefecture in Japan, sold for 1.1 million yen (S$13,950). The bunch contained about 30 berries, each smaller than a ping pong ball.
Average price of grapes in the supermarket: $2.95 per bunch
A black watermelon – see one here – grown only in Toma, Hokkaido, sold for 500,000 yen (S$6,340) in last year’s first auction of the popular cultivar.
The watermelon with no stripes is known to be the priciest in the world, with one sold at a whopping record of 650,000 yen (S$8,242) in 2008.
Average price of a watermelon in the supermarket: $3.95
Here’s a designer fruit from Japan: These are actually watermelons grown in tempered-glass cases so they take on a unique square shape.
Apparently, most people don’t even eat it, using it as decoration instead. It definitely makes for a great conversation starter, we must say.
Average price of a watermelon in the supermarket: $3.95
Translated as “Egg of the Sun”, these egg-shaped cultivars – see one here – are said to be retrieved for harvest only when they fall (upon ripening) from the tree.
They’re known to be fleshy and super sweet.
Average price of mangoes in the supermarket: $4.80 per kg
These precious berries (yes, they are actually multiple berries compacted by nature into one single fruit) are grown in pineapple pits, which are heated by fresh horse manure – the fruits don’t come into direct contact with any poo or urine, in case you were wondering.
Man-made pineapple pits comprising hollow walls, manure trenches and evaporating pans are pretty rare, given they’re an ancient Victorian gardening technique, and Heligan (a seaside estate in Cornwall, England) has the only one left in the entire continent.
Average price of a pineapple in the supermarket: $2.85
The Japanese city of Yubari (Hokkaido) has become famous for a melon that’s a cross between two types of cantaloupes.
The orange-fleshed melons are prized for their sweetness, perfect spherical shape, even webbing across their surface and T-shaped stalk. They’re often sold in pairs, and have been auctioned for as much as 1.6 million yen (S$20,316).
Average price of a melon in the supermarket: $3
The name translates to “World’s Number One”, and it is no wonder why this Japanese variety is the most expensive in the entire world – they’re hand pollinated and washed with honey to ensure they’re blemish-free.
Average price of an apple in the supermarket: $0.59
Grown in 23 prefectures in Japan, these oranges, which have a hump on top, are known as the sweetest oranges in the world. The name is a blend of deko (“uneven”) and ponkan (“a kind of tangerine”).
Fun fact: Only oranges with a sugar level above 13 Degrees Brix (an internationally recognised standard for gauging sugar content) and citric acid below one per cent can be sold with the glorious name Dekopon.
Average price of an orange in the supermarket: $0.40
These gorgeous red strawberries are sold at Sembikiya Fruit Parlour, a luxury fruit store which helped establish the trend of giving expensive fruits as gifts in Japan.
Average price of strawberries in the supermarket: $3.65 per box
At Hong Kong’s Yau Ma Tei fruit market, these cherries go for HK$550, showing that the premium fruit fad isn’t limited to Japan alone.
Tasmania’s late-ripening cherries are a hit as imported gifts for Chinese New Year and spring festival, and can be delivered within 48 hours of picking as compared to Chilean cherries, which can take up to 48 days.
Wow, fruits have become a status symbol in a quest for what is seen as clean, fresh produce.
Average price of cherries in the supermarket: $7.95 per box.
Text: Loh Pui Ying/HerWorldPlus