How Much Would You Pay for Premium Grapes?

How about $360 per grape?

Buying grapes at the grocery store is always kind of a gamble; they list some number like “$1.65 per lb” on the little yellow card, and then the whole bag ends up being $7. (If you are the person who actually weighs the bag of grapes on the produce scale and does the math in your head, please identify yourself.)

But that’s still on the low end, grape-price-wise. As the BBC reports—and as a Billfolder sent us via news tip—a bunch of Ruby Romans just sold for $360 per grape.

Japanese grapes auction: Ruby Romans fetch record price – BBC News

The Ruby Roman grape is only grown in Ishikawa Prefecture, and the BBC reports that these are the first grapes of the season. The BBC also notes the cultural significance of the purchase:

The Japanese are often willing to pay top-dollar for premium samples of fruit, sometimes with the intention of giving them as gifts to people perceived to be of higher status — for example, their boss at work.

A single apple can cost up to $3. And melons are sometimes sold for the equivalent price of a vintage wine.

Last year a pair of melons sold under the hammer for more than $12,000.

Supermarket owner Takamaru Konishi plans to share his newly-purchased Ruby Romans with his customers, giving people “a sample taste.”

The BBC has previously reported on fruit in Japanese culture:

Japan’s obsession with perfect fruit – BBC News

Even run-of-the-mill apples can cost $2 (£1.25) or more each in central Tokyo, and families tend to share one or two around the dinner table, chopped up.

“When it comes to fruit it is still a luxurious item, not like vegetables,” says Hiroko Ishikawa, who runs a fruit distribution business. “Vegetables you need for daily life but you can live without eating fruit. So if you are to buy something you might as well buy something that looks good. You don’t want scarred or deformed because you are paying for the fruit. It just looks better.”

It makes me wonder what happens to the less-than-perfect produce. If anyone on Team Billfold has additional insight—or if any of you have ever eaten a Ruby Roman grape—let’s discuss in the comments.

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