May 7, 2024 - Science
Behold, the $400 red pineapple
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The Rubyglow pineapple is red on the outside but yellow on the inside. Photo courtesy of Fresh Del Monte
What's red on the outside, yellow on the inside, and a $395.99 way to garnish your margarita?
- The Rubyglow pineapple, which Fresh Del Monte describes as "an ultra-premium luxury 'designer' fruit that appeals to high-end consumers."
Why it matters: Agriculture scientists and produce companies are constantly trying to innovate, to improve their plants and tantalize the public.
- Fun new fruits have lately included a thornless blackberry (developed in Arkanasas), a "Yellow Submarine" tomato that's yellow and shaped like a peanut (born at Cornell University), and the Luna avocado (out of the University of California, Riverside).
🍍Zoom in: It takes at least a decade to develop a new type of fruit, and the Rubyglow is no exception.
- "Grown in Costa Rica after a 15-year development period, the Rubyglow pineapple has a registered plant patent in the United States," according to a Fresh Del Monte press release.
- Its scarcity is key to its price tag: While "only a few thousand" will be produced this year, the Rubyglow will be "available nationwide through select regional grocers" and online retailers.
Zoom out: The Rubyglow is the latest newfangled pineapple from Fresh Del Monte — and the most expensive.
- The Mini Honeyglow was introduced this year as a "personal-size" pineapple (read: small) that's sweeter than most — it costs a mere $11.79 (plus about $30 in shipping).
- The Pinkglow pineapple — launched in 2020, with flesh as pink as deli ham — costs $29 before shipping.
- To merit its designer price tag, the Rubyglow "is individually packaged in a beautiful box that unfolds almost like origami," says Food & Wine.
The bottom line: Fruit salad is getting ready for a glow-up.
