Top 8 Most Expensive Fruits in the World

Pineapple, also known as the queen of fruits or tropical treasure, is a fruit that symbolizes the lively summer in tropical regions. However, before becoming as popular as it is today, pineapples were once considered a 'luxurious' fruit that everyone was crazy about. In fact, in the 17th century, the economist Pieter de la Court wrote: 'Pineapple is the only fruit that we can look at endlessly without getting bored!'

Many people believe that pineapples, being a tropical fruit, can only be expensive in Southeast Asia. But in reality, the world's most expensive pineapple, priced at $15,000 per fruit, originates from the Lost Gardens of Heligan, United Kingdom. They are named after the garden - the Heligan pineapple.

In 1997, Prince Charles of the British royal family made a special visit to this particular garden area. In October of the same year, the first Heligan pineapples were 'born' here. They were honored to be presented to Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of her 50th wedding anniversary. The taste of Heligan pineapples was described as exquisite and not fibrous.

This variety of pineapple is grown using traditional methods from many centuries ago. The Lost Gardens of Heligan had to build a greenhouse specifically for them to create a tropical climate. The soil is regularly fertilized with horse manure, dry straw, and livestock urine. Because natural methods are used to cultivate Heligan pineapples without any stimulants, it takes 5 years for the trees to mature and another 2 years before they can be harvested.

To ensure the quality of the fruit, gardeners must closely control the temperature and humidity so that the plants do not become waterlogged. Fresh horse manure is regularly replaced to maintain the temperature of the soil during the cold winter months. Pineapple pits are covered with hard covers to minimize heat transfer into the pit.

The meticulous planting and care process is one of the reasons why the price of Heligan pineapples skyrockets. In addition, the small quantity and the label 'tropical fruit grown in a cold land' also contribute to driving the price of Heligan pineapples up to $15,000 per fruit. However, the truth is that most of the harvested Heligan pineapples will be donated to those who have taken care of them. An employee at the Lost Gardens of Heligan said that if the Heligan pineapples were auctioned for charity, the proceeds could easily reach £10,000 (nearly 300 million VND).

What makes the value of Sekai Ichi apples special is that they are entirely grown using manual methods. Despite being priced much higher than domestic produce, Japanese apples are still favored by residents of major cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. Along with Aomori apples, another famous Japanese variety is Sekai Ichi, which is also imported to Vietnam. Sekai-ichi is a giant apple variety weighing a minimum of 0.5 kg, with many fruits weighing nearly 1 kg. The average circumference ranges from 12-18 cm.

In the Vietnamese market, Sekai Ichi apples are sold for prices ranging from 500,000 to 600,000 VND/kg. Therefore, many customers have to buy a single Sekai Ichi apple for up to half a million VND. Although not as fragrant as Aomori apples, the color of Sekai Ichi is quite eye-catching and crispy. The skin of the apple is shiny dark red, with a crisp, sweet, and fragrant taste.

While all other apple varieties in the world are grown, cared for, and harvested using machinery, Sekai Ichi apples are completely handcrafted. When flowering, the entire apple orchard is hand-pollinated. Each apple after harvest is washed clean with honey to maintain freshness and labeled by hand. The apples are harvested and transported gently to avoid strong impacts that could cause bruising. The apple season starts from late October.

In the list of the top 10 most expensive fruits in the world, Sekai Ichi ranks third in extravagance. In terms of taste, this apple variety is not extraordinary enough to justify its price of 500,000 VND per fruit. However, it is the way Sekai Ichi apples are grown, cared for, and harvested that creates their special value.

Yubari King melon is a type of golden melon cultivated in greenhouses in Yubari, Hokkaido, a small city near Sapporo, Japan. Dubbed as the Yubari King, Yubari King melon is known throughout Japan, now accounting for 97% of the agricultural income of the city of Yubari as coal mines in Yubari have closed due to the volcano.

Yubari King melons also have orange-yellow flesh, similar in shape and size to common golden melons. The distinctive feature of Yubari King melon is its evenly round shape, tight mesh skin, and sweet, melt-in-your-mouth flavor that makes you unable to resist taking a second bite. Yubari King melon is surprisingly delicious! It is the sweetest fruit, not at all overly sweet to make you uncomfortable, but rather a gentle, intense sweetness that is very satisfying.

The processes of cultivating Yubari King melons are very strict, and because the seeds cannot produce this type of Yubari King melon elsewhere, the price of Yubari King melons remains stable and exorbitantly high. Yubari King melons are usually sold for up to 15,000 yen (~3,000,000 VND). Some perfect Yubari King melons can be valued at over 20,000 yen (~4,000,000 VND).

The first Yubari King melons appear on the shelves in early May every year and are auctioned off. After the auction, Yubari King melons are displayed and priced for retail customers of the stores. In 2008, a pair of Yubari King melons was auctioned for up to $20,000 (~465,000,000 VND). Truly a luxurious and extravagant food.

Nutritional value, aesthetic appeal, rarity, and brand building efforts have made many fruits in the world expensive, worthy of a fortune. Among them, Arnaud Strawberry stands out.

As a variety of strawberries grown at the Arnaud restaurant in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Arnaud Strawberry surprises many people with its value. It is known that a bowl of strawberries with cream and mint on top is sold for up to $1.4 million (nearly 30 billion VND).

Naturally, high prices come with excellent quality, and this Arnaud Strawberry bowl is even more remarkable as it comes with a unique 4.7-carat pink diamond, once owned by Sir Ernest Cassel, economic adviser to the British royal family.

Japan is renowned for its modern industry and high-tech production. Hence, there are numerous Japanese fruits that have gained worldwide recognition for their superb quality and unbelievably high prices, among which the Densuke Watermelon stands out as a quintessential fruit of the country with its exorbitant value and delightful flavor.

The black Densuke Watermelon is one of the most expensive fruits in the world. Dubbed as the king of all watermelons, it is a specialty of Hokkaido, Japan. In June 2008, the first black Densuke Watermelon was sold for 250,000 Yen (approximately 6,300 USD) - an astonishingly high price that left many people in awe.

Another reason for its sky-high price is its uniquely delicious sweet taste, unlike any other fruits of its kind. The naturally shiny black skin of the watermelon is exceptionally beautiful and elegant. The black watermelon has become a luxurious and extravagant gift that affluent individuals around the world present to each other. Currently, the price of black watermelons in the Japanese market as well as in other countries fluctuates from a few hundred USD to thousands of USD. The Densuke Watermelon is priced hundreds of times higher than other common watermelon varieties. It is incredibly seedless, with some fruits even lacking any seeds at all. Presently, it is exclusively grown in the town of Toma, on the island of Hokkaido, Japan.

Red mangoes from Miyazaki, also known as Ruby mangoes of Japan, are hailed as some of the finest mango varieties globally. Adorned with bright red skins like the sun's glow, each mango is round, plump, juicy, with golden flesh, and notably 15 times sweeter than common mango varieties. Dubbed as 'sun eggs,' ruby mangoes are classified among the most luxurious fruits worldwide.

In Vietnam, ruby red mangoes are sold for prices ranging from 1.2 to 1.5 million dong per fruit. Despite the steep prices, according to many fruit vendors, this type of fruit is always in high demand, with customers needing to place orders a week in advance.

Explaining the exorbitant price of this fruit, Mr. Yushi Kawarai, a Japanese national studying in Hue City, said: 'In Japan, the cultivation process of this fruit is extremely strict. The mangoes are bagged right on the tree. When ripe, the mangoes fall into the mesh bags surrounding them and are delivered directly to consumers without any processing. What makes it so expensive is that all the mangoes are left to ripen naturally.'

It is known that this red mango variety is mainly grown in Miyazaki Prefecture, and each year during the harvest season (peak season being May and June each year), mangoes are auctioned off at markets.

Further research reveals that this red mango variety has a sweetness level 15% higher than normal varieties and is rich in nutrients such as iron, calcium, and antioxidants. Each fruit weighs significantly (350-400 g/fruit), with abundant flesh, small seeds, and all of them possess a red hue not found in other mango varieties.

Bearing the glamorous name 'Ruby Roman - Roman Ruby,' the expensive bunch of grapes from the Land of the Rising Sun was auctioned for $11,000 (over 245 million VND) by a supermarket owner in 2016. The bunch comprised 30 grapes, costing approximately $360 per grape (over 8.3 million VND), and undoubtedly, it boasted premium quality as it's an ultra-sweet grape variety grown in Ishikawa Prefecture.

Japan's market hosts hundreds of high-end grape varieties, but only one can make such a strong impression that people would spend hundreds of USD just to buy one grape. Ruby Roman grapes are cultivated in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, currently considered one of the most expensive fruits in the world.

The story of Ruby Roman began in 1995 when farmers in Ishikawa urged the Prefectural Agricultural Research Center to create a grape variety with large fruit size and eye-catching red color. 400 grapevines were planted for experimentation, and after two years, they bore fruit. However, among these 400 grapevines, only four produced red fruits, and only one of them reached the size large enough to meet the farmers' expectations. Over the next 14 years, researchers continuously developed the size, taste, color, and optimized cultivation methods of this grape variety. As a result, it is now considered the 'Treasure of Ishikawa Prefecture.'

According to the Japan Agricultural Association, this grape variety has been cultivated for over 10 years in Ishikawa Prefecture, with a sweetness level above 18 degrees, each grape weighing 20g or more and newly introduced to the market.

Japanese Sumo Oranges are among the most expensive fruits in the world. It's a hybrid between sweet oranges and mandarin oranges. In 2011, this type of orange first appeared in California, USA, and was called Sumo. The price per fruit was around 79 USD (nearly 2 million VND), which surprised many people. Nowadays, this type of orange is highly sought after in the US and South Korea...

A half million for an apple doesn't seem like much compared to this Japanese Sumo Orange, which costs nearly 2 million VND per fruit. Its appearance is normal like any other orange, except that the Japanese Sumo Orange has a prominent navel on top, with a bright yellow flesh, sweet and refreshing taste, and notably seedless, making it very appealing. Japanese Sumo Oranges are different from other oranges in both appearance and weight. The Sumo orange season usually starts in January each year.

The price of this special type of orange on the market ranges from 20 USD to several hundred USD. Despite being expensive, it remains highly popular.