Finding the perfect peach: Fuzzy fruit trending in Korea as appetite grows for unique varieties

Hwanggeumdo, a type of yellow peach with solid flesh, grown at Kwon Ju-il's farm [SCREEN CAPTURE]  

Yellow Dream, Great, Innocence, Shinbi, Yumyeong — and the list goes on. These aren’t the names of this season’s hottest lipstick shades, but they’re Korea’s latest trend obsession: peaches.

Korea is no stranger to fast-changing trends, and the appetite for the newest, hottest pick of the season has spilled into the fruit market. Luscious pink peaches — varying in size, color and texture — with enticing names are flooding local markets, online retailers and social media feeds. Some of the rarer varieties, cultivated at well-known farms, are available exclusively online and sell out quickly.

There are now hundreds of peach cultivars available in the country, types created through human intervention, with locally developed types hitting the market each year. Amid this abundance, the peach of the moment changes rapidly. What’s popular this month may end up being replaced by another in the next.

With this quickly changing fad comes challenges. As consumer preferences shift each season, developers and farmers are struggling to keep up. The overwhelming number of peach varieties on the market has also led to confusion, with some being marketed as newly developed under unique names but having unclear origins.

Peach trends move quickly

Nowhere is the speed of this fast-changing trend more visible than at Korea’s largest wholesale market.

At 2:30 a.m. on a Tuesday in the middle of summer while the city was still dark, Garak Market in southern Seoul was already wide awake. Inside the brightly lit warehouses, many forklifts maneuvered around, stacking crates of fruits and vegetables like mountains in preparation for sale. 

Crates of different peaches up for auction at Garak Market in southern Seoul. [WOO JI-WON]  

One section in particular stood out, surrounded by buyers with sharp eyes all drawn to one thing: the peaches.

As the auction kicked off, buyers moved between crates, inspecting peaches by sight, scent and occasionally by taste. But these weren't just white or yellow peaches. Boxes were labeled with all kinds of names like Geumhwang, Sabina, Nayeon, Su-hwang and more — some of them locally cultivated.

Geumhwang is a premium yellow-flesh peach developed in Korea, prized for its large size of around 300 grams (10.6 ounces), and its sweet, rich and juicy flavor. Typically harvested in mid to late July, it’s known for retaining its sweetness even after picking. The early-ripening Sabina peach, developed by a local farmer, is a firm, large variety weighing about 250 grams with an exceptionally high sugar content of 16.8 Brix. Su-hwang is another large, yellow peach, valued for its mid-July harvest window when few other varieties are in season.

Buyers browse crates of different peaches up for auction at Garak Market in southern Seoul. [WOO JI-WON]  

Within minutes, hundreds of boxes were bought and towed away. On that single day, 84 tons of peaches were sold. Just a day earlier, the market hit this year's seasonal high of 140 tons.

“Among all fruit, peaches are coming in the most right now,” said Bae Seong-in, the auctioneer who led the peach sales until 5 a.m. that morning, proving that peaches are now the hottest fruit of the summer.

And the varieties traded at the market change just as fast as they are sold.

“The harvest cycle is usually 15 days for each peach variety. After 15 days, new varieties come in. This continues until December,” Bae said.

In the past, farmers relied on just a few familiar names to carry them through the summer. Today, they plant and harvest a wider array of cultivars, increasing the number traded at the wholesale market and accelerating the turnover of popular varieties.

Sweetness takes the crown

Despite the abundance of types, one thing remains consistent. Sweetness is the top selling point.

Shinbi peaches are grown at farmer Cho Hee-pyo’s farm in Cheongdo County, North Gyeongsang.[CHO HEE-PYO] 

“Shinbi was hot a few years ago, but now it’s too common,” said Cho Hee-pyo, a peach farmer of nine years. “I think Daegeukcheon is on its way to becoming the next Shinbi.” Daeguekcheon boasts a Brix level of 15 to 17, whereas Shinbi, for example, has an average Brix level of 13 to 14.

“Firm white peaches like Yumyeong and soft yellow ones like Josaeng Elberta were big last year, and I think they’ll be back again this season,” said Kwon Ju-il, a second-generation grower. Josaeng Elberta typically has a sweetness level of around 13 Brix.

A 2023 survey by the Rural Development Administration found that 36 percent of consumers prioritize variety, while 34 percent focus on sugar content. About 80 percent said they want sugar levels labeled on packaging.

This growing demand for sweeter varieties has raised the bar.

While peaches in the past once hovered at around 9 to 12 Brix, today’s popular selections range from 13 to 18. Varieties like Cheonbong with 16 to 18 Brix and Seolleim with around 15 Brix are among the sweetest now on the market.

And social media pushes the limit even higher.

A reel shows a hybrid peach recording 20.4 Brix on the refractometer [SCREEN CAPTURE]  

One viral Instagram post featured a so-called hybrid peach — a mix of Innocence, Madoka and Shinbi — boasting 20.4 Brix in sweetness.

Retailers are also adapting to the fast-changing peach market. At Homeplus, varieties like Chunhyangaein, Shinbi, Cheondo, Haneuljak, Haetsalae and Green Hwangdo are featured, each available for only a few weeks before being replaced.

This rapid turnover contrasts with apples and pears, which remain on shelves for one to two months thanks to their longer shelf life and extended distribution cycle.

Various peach varieties are sold at Emart Traders. [WOO JI-WON]  

“The standard sweetness for peaches we carry these days is 14 to 15 Brix,” said a Homeplus representative. “But when we visit farms, we sometimes see varieties reaching as high as 20.”

Long road to the perfect peach

These high-sugar peaches aren’t just accidents of nature — they’re the result of decades of research and development by both public institutions and local farmers.

Peaches in a box for sale [JOONGANG ILBO] 

Since 1976, the National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science (Nihhs) has developed 24 peach varieties. The Cheongdo Peach Research Institute has introduced another 18 since 1998. That’s over 40 publicly developed cultivars.

“We generally develop one variety each year,” said Kwon Jeong-hyun, an Nihhs researcher.

Some experienced farmers also cultivate their own. One farmer-developed variety, Shinbi, has been a hit for years.

As a result, domestically developed peaches accounted for 36 percent of the peach market in 2024, up two percent from 34 percent in 2017.

Still, as trends change faster than ever, researchers are grappling with the reality that the pace of development can’t match the pace of the market.

While consumer trends shift by the season, developing a single peach variety can take 15 to 20 years. 

Kwon Ju-il works at his peach farm in Muju County, North Jeolla. [KWON JU-IL] 

“We cross cultivars, grow seedlings, evaluate fruit and repeat that for years,” Kwon Jeong-hyun said. “The only reason we can release one variety annually is because of the groundwork done decades ago.”

Even after registration, it takes a few more years before a tree can bear marketable fruit.

“In the fourth year, you can start to harvest, but only one to two boxes of peaches can be produced. It’s after five years that you can harvest some for sale," said farmer Cho. This means what’s trendy during development might already be outdated by the time it hits the market.

“It is hard to keep up with trends” researcher Kwon Jeong-hyun said. “So we try to anticipate what kind of peaches consumers will want in the future.”

The rapidly changing trend also takes a toll on farmers.

“It's difficult,” said farmer Kwon Ju-il. “So we try to plant ones that taste good with high sweetness and are big.”

Apples face a similarly slow cycle.

“It takes about 18 years to develop a new variety,” said Park Jong-taek, an apple researcher at NIHHS. Even after planting, apple trees require three years to bear fruit and five to produce at scale.

Newer varieties like Summer Prince, distributed since 2016, and Golden Ball, registered in 2021, are still scarcely available.

“Golden Ball only started being planted last year,” said apple farmer Lee Byeong-gwan, who grows Golden Ball at his farm. “It’ll be another three to four years before most people can even try it.”

Social media a double-edged sword

Social media is transforming how fruit is sold and consumed.

Many younger farmers sell their produce through social media platforms like Instagram and Threads and promote their fruit with aesthetic photos, vivid descriptions and even drop dates — emphasizing a limited-edition appeal. 

Bambi's Peach announces an online purchasing schedule on Instagram. [BAMBI'S PEACH] 

“We announce our online booking schedule on Instagram,” said Kim Dong-su of Bambi’s Peach, which harvests over 10 peach varieties. “Our customers do what we call ‘bokketing.'" The term combines the word ticketing with the Korean word for peach — boksunga.

"We post 400 boxes and they sell out in a minute.” Peach farmer Kwon Ju-il also announces the release date of each variety on Instagram. His farm is slated to begin harvesting next week, starting with the Deokgye variety.

Kim of Bambi’s Peach says social media helps to bring more detailed information to customers.

"When you go to a supermarket or department store, the staff can only give you a very limited explanation. But in our case, since we're selling directly from the farm and working with the producers themselves, we can provide very detailed and accurate information, like when the fruit was harvested, how it was packaged, when it will be delivered and what the characteristics of each variety are." 

"These days, consumers are more savvy and prefer smart shopping. They don't just want a peach. They want to know if this is a Mancheonha peach or Cheongjoongdo peach."

But as more people turn to Instagram for sales, concerns about authenticity are growing.

A variety called Hwalholgyeong recently went viral on Instagram, but when the seller was asked about its origins, they could only say it was “developed by a farmer,” offering no further information.

“It could raise concerns,” said NIHHS researcher Kwon. “While they shouldn’t, some sellers rename imported varieties, which can be problematic,” she said, acknowledging that it poses legal issues.

Reference
Written by WOO JI-WON [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]
Provided by Korea JoongAng Daily

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