Entering the Premium Fruit War... CU to Sell "Directly Shipped" Kingsberry

Premium Strawberries Launching on the 27th of This Month

CU announced on the 25th that it will offer a variety of strawberry products ranging from premium to small-sized items through a direct-from-farm delivery method.

The model is showcasing two types of Kingsberry products released by CU.
[Photo by BGF Retail]

CU is partnering with 20 strawberry farms in Nonsan, Chungnam, to launch premium strawberries delivered directly from the farm starting on the 27th of this month. As soon as an order is placed at the store, strawberries harvested the same day are packed at the farm and delivered to the BGF Fresh Center, ensuring product freshness and supply stability.

Until now, CU has sourced fresh strawberries through intermediary partners connected to various production areas, but this year, to procure even fresher strawberries, the distribution process has been shortened to enable direct delivery from the farms. With convenience stores becoming a local consumption channel for customers in the endemic phase, CU plans to increase the lineup of strawberries, a popular winter fruit, and actively introduce seasonal fruits throughout the year to enhance customer attraction.

The products introduced include two types of Kingsberry, known as the "King of Strawberries" (2 pieces for 5,000 KRW / 400g for 24,000 KRW). Kingsberry is characterized by being more than twice the size of regular strawberries and having an average sugar content of 12.5 Brix, about 15% higher. Kingsberry is a unique Korean variety developed by the Nonsan Strawberry Research Institute of the Chungnam Agricultural Research and Extension Services after nine years of research. It has gained a reputation for its adult palm-sized size and high sugar content, and its popularity has led to exports to 22 countries worldwide.

CU also offers Seolhyang strawberries (200g for 7,400 KRW), a popular variety that accounts for about 80% of the domestic strawberry market. Unlike the existing 500g packages sold in supermarkets or convenience stores, this is a small-sized product targeting single- or two-person households, made only with premium fruit.

Attention was also paid to the packaging method to maintain product freshness. Due to the delicate nature of strawberry flesh, which bruises easily, secondary repackaging that could cause damage has often been avoided by standardizing packaging methods. However, CU, through direct cooperation with farms, uses dedicated containers for each product, allowing a variety of strawberry types and sizes to be offered.

For Kingsberry, which is more prone to bruising than regular strawberries, each berry is individually packed using Styrofoam trays and then placed in a separate case for double packaging. Seolhyang strawberries are differentiated as a small-sized product by using a specially made 200g container.

Yoon Seunghwan, MD of the HMR team at BGF Retail, said, “We collaborated directly with farms to allow customers to purchase seasonal strawberries at convenience stores fresher and at more reasonable prices.” He added, “As shopping at convenience stores becomes more common, CU will continue to bring in various seasonal fruits to enhance customer convenience and create new demand.”

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