[Report] Will 'Shine Muscat' Revive... Confidence in Quality and Price This Year

Gyeongbuk Yeongcheon Farms Make Every Effort to Save Shine Muscat

Full Commitment to Quality This Year... "Shine Muscat Will Revive"
Lotte ON Hosts 'On Sale-On Maeum Hangawi' Event

"We are preparing with the mindset that if things continue like this, we will all perish together."

On the morning of the 13th, a sense of solemnity was evident at the Shine Muscat farms in Yeongcheon, Gyeongbuk, two weeks before the Chuseok peak season. Beyond the Shine Muscat greenhouses, where plastic packaging work was in full swing before shipment, a banner caught the eye, reading, "High-quality Yeongcheon Grapes! Let's protect them ourselves." Lee Sang-jong (37), who has been running a grape farm here for nine years, said, "All farms in the Yeongcheon area are united in spirit and effort to prepare for the upcoming holiday," adding, "This year, I am confident that Shine Muscat has secured clear competitiveness in both quality and price compared to last year."

A Shine Muscat farm in Yeongcheon, Gyeongbuk
Photo by Seohee Lee

The status of Yeongcheon Shine Muscat, a regional specialty and a dependable "holiday favorite" every year, began to waver starting last year. Shine Muscat’s optimal harvest period is considered to be late September to early October, after sufficient ripening when the sweetness fully develops. However, last year, Chuseok came earlier than usual in early September, resulting in a large volume of low-quality Shine Muscat with small berries and low sugar content. This was when Shine Muscat, once a "premium fruit" that consistently filled consumers' baskets during holidays, began to be overlooked. Lee said, "It is no exaggeration to say that sales dropped by more than 30% compared to an average year," adding, "The problem was the indiscriminate harvesting of immature grapes that had not fully ripened, and the negative consumer perception that developed during that period still lingers like an aftereffect."

This year, all farms have rolled up their sleeves to "save Shine Muscat." Each farm has introduced sugar content meters and independently launched Shine Muscat quality control teams to fully commit to regaining consumer interest. At Lee’s farm, sugar content measurement was in full swing from early morning. Although the Shine Muscat grapes ready for harvest appeared plump enough to be shipped immediately, Lee said, "We wait about 10 more days here for the sugar content to rise to 16 Brix before harvesting." After packaging, the products undergo a few more days of ripening, and only when the sugar content increases slightly more are they finally delivered to consumers.

(From the left) Im Jin-young, Product Planner (MD) of the Food Team at Lotte ON, and Go Seung-seok, Manager of the Distribution Business Headquarters at Daegu Gyeongbuk Apple Agricultural Cooperative, are having a conversation.
[Photo by Lee Seo-hee]

Another reason why the "revival" of Shine Muscat is anticipated this year is due to the very poor harvest of traditional holiday favorites like apples and pears caused by heavy rains until last month, which is expected to increase consumer demand for Shine Muscat. According to the Agricultural Products Distribution Information System (KAMIS), as of the 12th, the wholesale price of apples (Hongro variety, 10 kg) was 77,600 KRW, a 62% increase compared to 48,000 KRW during the same period last year. During the same period, Shine Muscat (2 kg) was priced at 21,000 KRW, a 29% decrease compared to 29,600 KRW last year. Since this year’s Shine Muscat harvest is not poor and the harvest period coincides with Chuseok, it is predicted that demand for holiday gift use can be sufficiently captured.

It is also considered a favorable factor that mixed gift sets combining premium fruits such as Shine Muscat, mango, and avocado have recently become a trend among consumers. While gift sets composed of single products like apples and pears were previously bestsellers, the recent decline in premium fruit prices has made mixed sets, which combine these fruits for a more diverse taste and appearance, popular. According to Lotte ON, sales of Shine Muscat mixed fruit sets doubled compared to the previous year during August and September last year, and the proportion of mixed fruit sets among products placed in the main category also increased significantly. Lotte ON is partnering with fruit-specialized brands including Daegu Gyeongbuk Apple Cooperative to hold the "On Sale - On Mind Hangawi" event from the 14th to the 25th, offering various fruit gift sets at up to 20% discounted prices during the event period.

Im Jin-young, a product planner (MD) for the food team at Lotte ON, said, "Recently, consumers have become increasingly discerning in choosing fruits, considering not only the production area but also the variety and sugar content," adding, "This year, Shine Muscat is expected to be better in both quality and price compared to last year, so mixed gift sets including Shine Muscat are anticipated to be favored by consumers."

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