Why Japanese Ruby Roman Grapes Are So Expensive | So Expensive

[Music] the first thing you notice about japanese ruby rum and grapes is their size just one is about four times the size of an average grape but inspectors look even closer if the color of these grapes matches categories three or four on this color card then just one bunch could sell for 90 to 450 but size and color are just two of the characteristics that define these luxury grapes so what else do inspectors look for and why are these grapes so expensive [Music] [Music] [Music] in japanese culture fruits are considered a luxury and gift item in fact japanese supermarkets often won't sell fruits if they have any blemishes or aren't the right shape inspectors like kazuyoshi sakurai use very specific criteria to scrutinize each grain or individual grape that grows in kahuku city okay [Music] superior grade grapes make up almost 90 percent of the harvest and special superior grapes make up about 10 percent superior bunches can cost between 90 and 140 special superior grapes are priced at 180 to as high as 450 dollars but there's still one category higher than these two so you know only one or two bunches a year qualify as premium in kahuku farmers hope to sell one bunch of premium grapes for over one thousand dollars two bunches made the cut this year but in 2019 and 2020 no grapes qualified for the premium category [Music] no matter the grade though all ruby roman grapes have a uniquely sweet flavor according to isu am i industrial [Music] [Music] harvesting starts in july just in time for one of two main japanese gift giving holidays ochugen the grapes are only grown in ishikawa prefecture and they're cultivated in greenhouses where farmers have better control over the growing process each grape is monitored and manicured so that everyone in a bunch looks totally identical to produce grapes of the proper size they use a grape thinning device and a simple pair of scissors [Music] um [Music] one way to control light is by adding or removing leaves near the vines to confirm that enough light is getting into the greenhouse farmers use a different tool akalu [Music] [Music] using a program they developed with a private it company farmers can then identify how much light they need to add or subtract [Music] foreign the final complicated element for ruby roman grape farmers is temperature [Music] industry they open the sides and ceilings of the greenhouse to keep it as cool and ventilated as possible [Music] and still not all the ruby roman grapes farmers grow will be up to standard which is why supply is consistently limited in 2020 only 25 000 ruby roman bunches were up for sale that's a tiny fraction of the total number of grapes that were for sale in japan which was about 163 000 metric tons in 2020 it wasn't until 2008 that the first ruby roman grapes went up for sale the effort to create them started in 1995 when local grape farmers and ishikawa's agricultural research center came together to develop a new breed of large red grapes [Music] what they ended up with is the most expensive grape in the world so expensive that in 2020 one bunch of these grapes sold at auction for twelve thousand dollars that's about four hundred dollars per grape you

Channel: Business Insider

Views: 5,303,190

Keywords: Business Insider, Business News, So Expensive, Grapes, Food, Japanese, Luxury, Fruit

Id: EE7NqzhMDms

Length: 8min 2sec (482 seconds)

Published: Sat Sep 11 2021