This Hot Summer, Fall into the Refreshing Scent of 'Citrus'

Popular Citrus Fruits Stimulate Consumer Taste Buds with Refreshing Flavors
Blood Orange, Baekjamong, Cheonggyul... A Surge of Desserts Featuring Citrus Fruits

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] The food and beverage industry is enticing consumers’ appetites, exhausted by the heat, by launching a large number of products utilizing the fresh and appealing ‘citrus’ fruit ingredients. Citrus refers to the group of fruits including oranges, gyul (Korean tangerines), and grapefruit.

Citrus fruits are characterized by a harmonious balance of acidity and moderate sweetness, along with a fresh and refreshing sensation. They are known to help with fatigue recovery and mood improvement, especially during hot seasons when people tend to feel tired. Recently, as many consumers experience prolonged indoor living leading to feelings of stuffiness and depression, the popularity of citrus fruits has increased significantly.

Looking at the click trends for the keyword ‘grapefruit,’ a representative citrus fruit, within the Naver Data Lab Shopping Insight (Food category) on the 31st, clicks surged from 28 in January to 100 in April. Compared to the same period last year (April), this is a 69% increase. Additionally, when compared with popular fruit keywords such as orange, grapefruit, mango, banana, and strawberry, the click volume for citrus fruits like orange and grapefruit was significantly higher.

An official from the beverage industry said, “This year, record-breaking heat is expected, and since the hot weather has continued since May, the popularity of sour and refreshing drinks seems to be rising. Besides well-known fruits like orange and grapefruit, the use of exotic citrus fruits with unfamiliar names is also expected to increase.”

Fresh produce brand Dole Korea recently launched ‘Dole Blood Orange Paradise Juice,’ a 100% fruit juice premium product capturing the fresh flavor of the exotic tropical fruit ‘blood orange.’ This product was introduced in response to growing domestic consumer interest in exotic tropical fruits. The blood orange is characterized by smaller size and deep red flesh compared to regular oranges, and the juice preserves its unique taste and aroma. Moreover, no sugar is added; only carefully selected blood orange juice is used to fully enjoy the fruit’s natural flavor.

A representative from Dole’s processed food division stated, “Demand for products using citrus fruits, which soothe tired palates with their refreshing taste amid early heat waves, is increasing. We hope consumers can beat the early heat coolly with ‘Dole Blood Orange Paradise Juice,’ which lets you experience the exotic taste and flavor of citrus fruits.”

Lotte Chilsung Beverage launched a new flavor of Chilsung Cider called ‘Cheonggyul’ 70 years after the original Chilsung Cider was released. Cheonggyul Chilsung Cider uses unripe Jeju-grown cheonggyul (green tangerine) juice for the first time in an RTD carbonated drink. It maintains the product’s citrus fruit characteristics while delivering a fresher and tangier taste.

Woongjin Foods introduced ‘Natureun Plus,’ a fruit juice drink enriched with essential nutrients vitamin C and calcium. Natureun Vita Plus Gamja C is a product containing the sweet and slightly bitter fruits gyul and grapefruit, along with vitamin C, making it a refreshing and healthy fruit juice drink.

New menu items focusing on ‘citrus’ ingredients from franchise brands are also catching attention. Coffee specialty brand Dalkom recently launched four products using fresh grapefruit: ‘Fresh Grapefruit Mojito,’ ‘Grapefruit Earl Grey Iced Tea,’ ‘Dalkom Grapefruit Bingsu,’ and ‘Fresh Grapefruit Cup Bingsu.’ These are designed to let customers enjoy grapefruit, a trendy summer fruit, in various ways according to their preferences.

Paris Baguette released ‘Baekjamong Bingsu,’ emphasizing refreshment by using the exotic fruit baekjamong (pomelo). This product features the natural taste of the fruit’s flesh and is based on the recently popular exotic fruit baekjamong.

McDonald’s introduced ‘Hallabong Chiller’ ahead of summer, using Jeju’s specialty fruit hallabong. Hallabong is rich in vitamins and antioxidants, excellent for fatigue recovery, and its unique aroma and taste stimulate the appetite, making it perfect for the hot summer season when people tend to feel exhausted.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.