Emart to Sell 360 Tons of 'Altteul Bae' and 'Bojogae Apples'

Freshness and sweetness are the same as regular products
Purchasing 'Motnani Gwail' with small blemishes
Helping fruit farms struggling due to natural disasters
Offering fruits to customers at affordable prices

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Emart has stepped up to help farmers facing emergencies due to the longest rainy season and consecutive typhoons in history, and to supply fruits, whose prices have surged, at stable prices.

From the 10th, Emart announced that it will sell ‘Altteul Bae’ (discount pears) and ‘Bojogae Sagwa’ (dimple apples), which have the same freshness and sweetness as regular products but are called ‘ugly’ due to uneven shapes and small blemishes, for one week. The initial prepared quantity is 60 tons (t) of Altteul Bae and 300t of Bojogae Sagwa, totaling 360t.

The ‘ugly’ fruits prepared this time have undergone non-destructive sweetness sorting, with pears at 11 Brix and apples at 13 Brix or higher, so their sweetness is at the same level as regular products.

Emart’s large-scale purchase and sale of ‘Altteul Bae’ and ‘Bojogae Sagwa’ is to help fruit farmers struggling due to the rainy season and typhoons, and also to allow customers to purchase expensive fruits at affordable prices.

First, Altteul Bae, which is relatively early harvested in the Jeonju region located in the southern part of Korea, is sold at 11,900 KRW per 3kg box. Considering that fresh pears sold at Emart cost 19,800 KRW per 3kg bag, this is about 50% cheaper. As part of the ‘Korea Farm Discount’ event, with the application of the Shinsegae Point Card, it can be purchased at a 20% discount for 9,520 KRW.

The Emart buyer in charge of pears identified farms struggling due to the rainy season and typhoons immediately after the typhoon, and directly visited about 20 farms to purchase Altteul Bae in bulk right at the harvest sites. Since fruits with surface blemishes need to be distributed quickly to maintain quality, they were purchased through direct visits to the sites.

Bojogae Sagwa, the Hongro variety apples from the main production areas of Andong, Yeongju, Mungyeong in Gyeongbuk, and Yesan in Chungnam, are sold at an affordable price of 9,980 KRW per 2kg bag through a ‘full-set purchase’ of the entire production volume from the respective farms. Shinsegae Point Card members receive a 20% discount, purchasing them at 7,980 KRW. This is about 25% cheaper compared to regular fresh apples.

Emart secured apple quantities at prices lower than the market through ‘full-set purchases’ of special grade, regular grade, and Bojogae quantities all at once since early September. Farmers were able to ship even the ‘ugly’ products, which are difficult to sell, all at once. Emart expects that through the sale of Altteul Bae and Bojogae Sagwa, consumers will be able to purchase fruits, whose prices have recently surged by nearly 50%, without burden.

Meanwhile, Emart has been actively leading the purchase of Bojogae Sagwa and Altteul Bae since last year. Last year, it purchased 1,600t of Bojogae Sagwa worth 4 billion KRW and 380t of Altteul Bae worth about 1.3 billion KRW. This year, it plans to purchase 2,500t, more than 50% increase from the previous year, to improve customer perception of ‘ugly’ fruits and expand sales channels.

Myunggeun Lee, Emart’s fresh produce manager, said, “Due to worsening weather conditions since early this year, the supply and demand of agricultural products is in an emergency situation, so we decided to actively expand the sale of Bojogae Sagwa and Altteul Bae,” adding, “We plan to continue efforts by introducing various purchasing methods to help domestic fruit farmers and stabilize fruit prices for customers.”

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