The age-old practice of selective plant breeding to yield better flavor, higher yields, bigger berries, more sweetness, and resistance to diseases saw a modern renaissance in 2013 with the Cotton Candy grape and inspired lines of augmented fruits, reports The New York Times.
This trademarked and licensed grape varietal has taken off in the last few years, securing $129 million in sales in the U.S., up from $102 million the previous year. Jim Beagle, the CEO of Grapery, notes that customers are willing to pay twice the price for Cotton Candy grapes than for any others, presumably thanks to the texture and flavor.
Similarly, strawberries have been seeing the spotlight in the U.S. Omakase strawberries from Oishii are regularly selling out at Whole Foods despite the $20 price tag, and larger companies like Driscoll are selling designer strawberries called Rosé Berries, Tropical Bliss, and Sweetest Batch, which all tout a likeness to sweeter fruits and even fruit punch. According to the company, the Tropical Bliss variety claims to be 10 percent sweeter than the traditional red variety.
Baldor Specialty Foods have begun selling a melon that innovates the item on its aesthetic rather than taste; the Picasso melon, a sweet honeydew has “snow leopard spots on the rind and…green flesh,” according to Matt Rendine, the company’s director of merchandising and category development. Full Story
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