Korea's retail industry has entered a full-scale "strawberry war" ahead of the year-end season, with distributors competing to attract consumers through size, freshness, and new varieties.
E-Land's Kim's Club on December 20 became the first major retailer to launch "Joyberry," a new strawberry variety developed by the Nonsan Agricultural Technology Center. Joyberry was developed to target premium strawberry demand, featuring a balanced combination of sweetness, firmness, and size—the key quality factors for strawberries. The variety meets the premium grade standard with a sugar content of 12.0 Brix or higher, and its excellent firmness makes it well-suited for long-distance distribution and storage.
Kim's Club has been expanding its variety lineup, following last year's introduction of "Honghee," developed in Hongseong-gun, with this year's launch of Joyberry.
Beyond varieties, the retailer is also focusing on securing freshness. Since strawberry flesh softens rapidly after harvest, distribution speed is critical to quality. Kim's Club has established a system to place strawberries on shelves within 24 hours of harvest.
The process begins at 4 a.m. when strawberries are harvested at farms in Wanju-gun, North Jeolla Province. After sorting, they are transported to distribution centers, allocated to individual stores, and displayed on shelves by the following morning. To achieve this, Kim's Club operates a dedicated sorting facility in Samrye, Wanju, reducing intermediate distribution steps and increasing speed.
"The dedicated sorting facility system is key to securing freshness," a Kim's Club official said. "Because we sort and package immediately after harvest according to standards, customers can receive strawberries in the freshest condition."
The official added, "We became the first major retailer to offer Nonsan's Joyberry through direct farm transactions, and we will continue to introduce new varieties to customers every year."
The rising demand for premium strawberries in the retail industry reflects changing consumer patterns. As gift-giving culture and social media sharing have become established, preference for large, visually appealing strawberries has grown. Industry analysts note that while the cost-effective "Seolhyang" variety previously dominated the market, consumption has recently shifted toward premium fruit amid a growing sentiment of "eating fewer but better."
Shinsegae Live Shopping announced plans to sell a limited 1,000 sets of "Goldberry," a premium new variety, through morning and afternoon broadcasts on December 22. Goldberry features golden-colored flesh inside, high sugar content, firm texture, and better storage quality compared to regular strawberries.
The Nam Sangju Strawberry Export Association in Sangju, North Gyeongsang Province, also made its first export of "Arihyang," a new strawberry variety, to Indonesia on December 17.
