Welcome to the Age of the 'High-End' Pineapple

If you're looking for a new foodie experience, Fresh Del Monte has a "fruit like no other." All hail the Rubyglow pineapple, a "red-shelled, hybrid fruit" with a "classically yellow interior" that FDM boasts "offers a special experience to those who appreciate uniqueness."

• Creation: The company notes in a release that the luxury food item was developed in Costa Rica after 15-plus years of research, per Axios. The Produce News notes that this "exclusive, high-end" pineapple first saw a January launch in China, which spurred a "global waitlist."
• The pineapple: It's a crossbreed between a regular pineapple and a Morada pineapple (which you normally can't eat), per a release. Growing this special pineapple is said to be complex, and the process takes some time—two years per pineapple, followed by a ripening period, per Produce News. Food & Wine notes that the Rubyglow comes "individually packaged in a beautiful box that unfolds almost like origami."

• Coming to America: Now, FDM says it has a plant patent for the US as well. The company says "only a few thousand" will be produced in 2024 and will be available throughout the nation via online retailers and at certain local grocers. The crossbred Rubyglow "is sure to impress as a unique gift or served as a creative way to entertain guests," says Fresh Del Monte marketing exec Melissa Mackay, per Produce News.
• Cost: The price tag for such a sweet treat? Individual retailers will set it, but the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes that the cost listed on a waitlist is $125. Melissa's Produce is selling it for even more than that, with an eye-popping $395 price tag.

(More pineapple stories.)