Ugly Fruit Has Its Day: Misshapen "Crooked Melons and Cracked Jujubes" Make a Successful Comeback

The New Year is approaching, and in many supermarkets apples have been given a “new outfit” and branded with the “peace” label; through growing methods, apples are transformed into “peace apples,” with an ordinary Red Fuji selling for 7 or 8 yuan.

However, compared with these shiny fruits, this year some fruits with a not-so-good “look” and rather rough appearance have become all the rage, selling both expensively and well. These fruits, usually called “crooked melons and cracked jujubes,” have suddenly made a “comeback” and become the new favorite of city residents. In this issue of the Market Barometer, let us take a look at just what is behind these “ugly” fruits.

“Rock Candy Heart” Apples Sell Like Hotcakes

A reporter from Chongqing Morning Post visited several fruit stalls in the city. Rock Candy Heart apples generally start at 8 yuan per jin at retail, going as high as 15 yuan or even nearly 20 yuan, and “the more expensive they are, the better they sell,” already earning fruit vendors a pot full of gold. But does a high price mean great value?

At a fruit stall near Daxigou in Yuzhong District, apples occupied the most space on the stall, with the most numerous Red Fuji priced from 5 yuan to 10 yuan. Their glossy appearance did not attract many customers. “Actually, the Rock Candy Heart ones sell even better.”

“Those dark-looking ones over there are the Rock Candy Heart apples.” The owner pointed to a pile of apples that were a bit large but whose shape was indeed not very good-looking. The reporter then picked 4 apples, and after weighing them was charged 27 yuan! That works out to about 7 yuan per apple. After the owner cut one open, the reporter indeed saw a not-very-clear “heart.” The owner explained that to see the “heart,” you have to cut it crosswise; cutting it lengthwise will not reveal it.

Yunnan and Sichuan Apples Become New Favorites

Besides the expensive Rock Candy Heart apples, some low-priced ugly apples have also become a “highlight” among fruits this year. Apples from Zhaotong, Yunnan and Yanyuan, Sichuan have a very “terrible” appearance, yet have become new favorites.

The reporter learned from several fruit stall owners that Zhaotong apples are “unremarkable in appearance,” but judging from sales over the past two years, they have been unexpectedly good. Some fruit vendors have to make trips to the fruit wholesale market every two days to restock, showing just how popular they are.

“Although they look ugly, this kind of apple is very sweet, and no pesticides or wax have been applied, so people can eat them with peace of mind.” Said Boss Yang, who is in the fruit wholesale business, ugly apples' sales double day by day, and on the best day he sells 40 to 50 boxes, while the price has also risen compared with last year. “The larger ones wholesale at around 5 yuan, roughly double.”

The reporter saw that this kind of ugly apple not only has an insufficiently glossy appearance, but some even have “pockmarks.” Yet one bite has no astringency, and the taste is basically purely sweet.

Supermarkets Mainly Sell Fujian Honey Pomelos

While honey pomelos are all the rage, Chongqing's local Shatian pomelos have also hit the market. Information from the market shows that the price of Changshou pomelos has risen another notch this year. Some large Changshou pomelos wholesale at around 6 yuan, while the retail price reaches as high as 10 yuan.

According to a fruit grower who carries a pole to sell Changshou pomelos in Chongqing, Changshou pomelos are a grafted variety that combines the advantages of all sides and tastes good. “In the past you might still taste some numbing bitterness, but now there is basically none.” He said that every day he sells more than a hundred pomelos carried on his pole.

In the market, especially in supermarkets, pomelos are mainly Fujian honey pomelos, and local pomelos basically have no market. The pomelos that local Chongqing people like to eat, because of their unimpressive appearance, find it hard to enter elegant circles. By contrast, Fujian honey pomelos, with their large size, smooth skin and uniform packaging, quickly occupy the market.

Consumers Value Nutrition and Taste More

“Actually, people like ugly-looking fruits because these fruits' original, natural state gives them peace of mind.” Yesterday, the person in charge of the Municipal Fruit Industry Association said that people in the past did not peel apples when eating them, because at that time large-scale cultivation was rare and harmful substances such as pesticides were not used on a large scale. Nowadays it is very hard for more and more fruits to maintain their original natural state.

The person in charge said that city residents like eating ugly fruits, which shows that people's consumption concepts have changed, with more emphasis on nutrition, taste and so on.

According to data previously released by the China Fruit Marketing Association and the Apple Industry Association, since new apples came onto the market in 2014, prices have remained high, making it the year with the highest apple prices in the past decade. The main reason is that this year was an “off year” for apple production, with national output of only about 35 million tons, down 5%-10% from 2013.