Lotte Mart to Sell 'Saebyeok Strawberries' Harvested Same Day Starting from 25th

Lotte Mart will sell strawberries harvested early in the morning on the same day at over 100 stores nationwide, including the Seoul Station and Jamsil branches, starting from the 25th.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Lotte Mart announced on the 23rd that starting from the 25th, it will sell strawberries harvested early in the morning on the same day at over 100 stores nationwide, including Seoul Station and Jamsil branches.

Generally, strawberries are harvested in the morning and sold at stores the next day, but the early morning strawberries are harvested starting around 3 a.m. and can be found in stores after 3 p.m. on the same day. Considering that strawberry harvesting usually begins at 8 a.m., this means the process starts about five hours earlier than usual products.

Strawberries are a highly perishable product, and freshness is a major factor in purchasing decisions. Taking into account that strawberry quality is greatly affected by temperature, Lotte Mart anticipated a rise in temperature at the end of February and decided to introduce early morning strawberries about a month earlier than last year.

When the sun rises and the temperature increases, the temperature inside greenhouses also rises. Harvesting strawberries at high temperatures often causes bruising or softening, leading to quality deterioration. However, early morning strawberries are harvested when the temperature is low, resulting in firmer strawberries that can be offered to customers in a fresher state.

Last year, early morning strawberries were sold only at about 70 stores in the metropolitan area using logistics centers, but this year, Lotte Mart is expanding the supply area by collaborating with strawberry farms in the Chungcheong, Honam, and Yeongnam regions to supply the freshest early morning strawberries to nearby stores. Unlike conventional strawberries, which require at least a day for harvesting, size sorting, and packaging before reaching stores, the distribution time has been reduced to half a day, enhancing freshness.

A Lotte Mart official said, “Since last weekend, temperatures have risen, and the temperature at the end of February is expected to be higher than average, so we decided to handle early morning strawberries a month earlier to improve strawberry quality. This will be a great opportunity to enjoy fresh strawberries harvested on the same day.”

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