Fruit corn is a type of sweet corn that can be eaten raw. The peel is thin and the corn itself is juicy, crisp and sweet. Whether eaten raw or cooked, the corn is very sweet and very crisp, like fruit, hence the name "fruit corn". There are many varieties of fruit corn, and all of them have a high nutritional value.
"Fruit corn entered the Chinese market on a commercial scale three years ago. The first supply was the pure white fruit corn from Taiwan. Our company was the second to plant, harvest, and sell fruit corn on the Chinese market. From our surveillance we have learned that consumers still need to learn a lot about fruit corn. Their understanding of this product is still limited, but the fruit corn market has begun to flourish in the last three years." This is according to Wu Bin of Hainan Wushen Ecological Agricultural Development Co., Ltd.
"The main fruit corn variety that we grow and sell is a double-colored, yellow and white, fruit corn variety. It is known in China as 'Gold and Silver 208'. It is based on the high-quality Marquette introduced by the French Limagrain Group. We grow the fruit corn without genetic modification through non-intrusive agricultural methods. We currently produce fruit corn in our own plantation in Qionghai, Hainan, which covers around 13 hectares. The supply season begins every year in January and usually continues until the end of April. We also have 7 hectares of fruit corn plantation in Huangshan, Anhui. Their supply season begins every year in early May and is expected to continue until January in the subsequent year. This way we can guarantee year-round supply."
"The price of fruit corn is more or less double the price of traditional corn grown in open fields. We therefore aim at medium- to high-end consumer markets in first-tier cities, where people are able to afford higher prices for healthy food. Our main target markets are in cities such as Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, and Wenzhou. Our secondary markets are in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei."
"We sell fruit corn under our own registered brand 'KIO'. Our fruit corn comes in two types of packaging: the first is a family gift box that contains 8-11 cobs of corn, which is mainly aimed at community stores, WeChat stores, and some other e-commerce platforms as well; the second is a bulk package that contains 50-60 cobs of corn, which is mainly aimed at e-commerce platforms, chain stores, and high-end supermarkets."
"Double-colored 'KIO' fruit corn is fat with corn kernels, either white or yellow. It can be eaten fresh, or boiled in a conventional manner. The flavor is significantly better than most common sweet corns on the domestic market. Our surveillance shows that more than 50% of the consumers boil their fruit corn, but the number of people who eat fruit corn raw is growing."
"We began to plant and sell this type of fruit corn in 2017. We then started cooperation with several well-known seed companies to provide the market with top-quality traditional open-field corn and new varieties of fruit corn under our brand names 'KIO' and 'Sanfen Corn'."
