The company Fresh Del Monte announced earlier this year that they were releasing a new type of pineapple, called the Rubyglow pineapple. Instead of the familiar yellow skin, this one has a red skin and it was released in China in January for Chinese New Year.
Fresh Del Monte created the Rubyglow pineapple by using traditional crossbreeding techniques between two fruits, a normal pineapple and an inedible Morada pineapple.
According to Fresh Del Monte, the Rubyglow pineapple took at least 15 years of development before it was successfully grown and ripened in Costa Rica.
But it’s not the first innovative pineapple the company has released. According to its press release, it was the creator of the Del Monte Gold Extra Sweet pineapple, Pinkglow pineapple, Honeyglow pineapple and the Del Monte Zero pineapple.
Why is it $400?
According to Fresh Del Monte in January, there are currently only 5,000 Rubyglow pineapples available worldwide, and in order to get one, you need to join a waiting list.
The CEO of Fresh Del Monte shared in a statement that, “We believe that the Rubyglow pineapple is the perfect product to build our market presence in China.”
The limited supply increases the price of the Rubyglow pineapple.
Other ‘new’ fruits that have been created
According to Axios, it takes at least 10 years for scientists to create a new type of fruit, with multiple companies seeking out this option because they are “constantly trying to innovate, to improve their plants and tantalize the public.”
There new fruits that have been created recently, per Axios, several of which are being released to the public this year:
- Thornless blackberry.
- “Yellow submarine” tomato.
- Luna avocado.