Haute fruit

From perfectly ripe $400 melons being sold in the Hamptons; to a selection of the finest strawberries imported from Japan (retail price: $780); to berries cultivated in vertical farms to replicate “a perfect day in Japan,” fruit is going haute.

Among those varieties making a splash in the West? In New York, Asian supermarket HMart carries Shizuoka Crown Melons for almost $130, the New York Post reports. The Crown Melon brand describes the fruit as carrying “the scent of musk, plenty of juice, [a] mellow taste, and smooth texture.” Cultivated in Japan under meticulously controlled temperature, humidity, light, and soil quality, only a single melon is harvested per tree. The brand likens the way the growers nurture the melons to “raising their own children.” “Each melon has its character and none of them [are] the same,” Crown Melon adds.

And at Farm & Forage in the Hamptons, the New York Times reports, the Ikka Souden Musk Melons, also from Japan, are sold for up to $400 each. Underlining the fruit’s “viral” status, the upscale store recently posted a live cutting of the melon on Instagram, illustrating its juicy ripeness in real time.

Going premium too are strawberries sourced from Japan – or grown according to the country’s methods. Among the luxe Japanese fruits that US company Ikigai Fruits imports are Kotoka strawberries from Japan’s Nara Prefecture sold for $89 per 500g, described as boasting “intense sweetness, juicy pulp, and a delightful sweet-tart fragrance.” And at $780 are 27 Mini Tamatebako strawberries, also from Nara Prefecture, presented like luxury chocolates, individually cushioned in a pale pink box. The luxurious set, described as “an unforgettable gift experience,” is composed of ruby red Kotoka strawberries, sweet Awayuki pink strawberries, and rich, sweet, Pearl White strawberries. All of the brand’s varieties are sold seasonally.

Oishii Koyo Berries2 copy — Oishii Koyo berries

Another US company, Oishii, grows fruit in vertical farms in New Jersey, a technique that allows produce to be grown year-round, with a climate that “replicates a perfect day in Japan.” The company grows three types of strawberry: the Omakase berry, the Koyo berry, and the Nikko berry, alongside its Rubi tomato, which boasts a “surprising sweetness.” A single Oishii strawberry costs around $2, delish reports, with the range currently sold at eight stores on the US’s East Coast.

And while these elevated fruits run into the hundreds of dollars, fruit’s premiumization is also being seen on a more modest scale. Marks & Spencer in the UK put its Red Diamond variety of strawberries front and center this summer, spotlighting where the strawberries are grown. And taking another tip from Asia, the grocer debuted its Red Diamond Strawberry and Cream sandwich – inspired by Japan’s fruit sandos – and its M&S Collection Red Diamond Strawberry Lemonade, products that both elevate the status of the fruit.

Fruit being put on a pedestal is a phenomenon that’s already well established in Asia. In Japan, certain fruit varieties are considered “works of art,” Japan Living Guide notes. And as fruit’s perishable nature means it won’t take up space in a recipient’s home, it’s regarded as an ideal present for Japan’s myriad gift-giving occasions, Tokyo Weekender says, especially as its organic nature captures the essence of Japan’s changing seasons, “a highly valued aspect of culture here.”

Brianna Shales, marketing director at US fruit producers Stemilt Growers, told Food Institute that she likens the West’s emerging appetite for upscale fruit to any other luxury purchase. “Some people might see trying the new hit fruit like others see buying that new luxury purse or designer shoe,” commented Shales. “When it comes to luxury anything, it’s all about the benefits that come with it and the value a person puts on them.”

The Intelligence Take

For the health-conscious luxurians, upscale fruit offers novel indulgence, embracing rarity, beauty and goodness. It also tells an important story about luxury today – that the humble and the ephemeral can be elevated when imbued with storytelling and craft.

More broadly though, as climate change, geopolitical tension and rising employment costs drive up prices, the cost of everyday fruit is rising too. In the UK for example, wholesale prices for blackberries rose by 25% and raspberries by 15% in the year to June 2025 according to The Guardian. Could food inflation accelerate a broader reframing of fruit as a premium product?

Main image: Oishii's Koyo berry