[Report] "Meet the First 'Mulbok' of the Year"... Visiting Namwon Green Hwangdo Peach Farm

Visit to Namwon Peach Production Area
Seasonal Green Hwangdo Peaches at Late June, Popular for High Sweetness
Automation from Fruit Inspection to Packaging
On Homeplus Shelves Within 24 Hours After Shipment

"Normal, Special Grade 6. Normal, Special Grade 4. Normal, Special Grade 5."

On the afternoon of the 27th at the Namwon Horticultural Cooperative Smart Agricultural Products Distribution Center in Namwon-si, Jeonbuk, a large fruit sorting machine, reminiscent of factory equipment, was running nonstop as soon as we entered the site. The monitor attached to the sorter graded the fruit according to size and sugar content. Workers were busy visually inspecting the peaches delivered that day and placing them on the sorter. The fruit, after undergoing weight and non-destructive sugar content tests in the sorter, was gathered by grade, automatically packaged, and then placed into boxes.

Peach sorting work is underway at the Namwon Horticultural Cooperative Smart Agricultural Products Distribution Center in Namwon, Jeonbuk.
[Photo by Homeplus]

At the peach farm visited earlier, harvesting was in full swing. At 'Bang Geukwan Farm' located in Namwon-si, peaches were being cultivated focusing on popular varieties among consumers such as the early-ripening 'Green Hwangdo Peach,' Madoka, and Daegukcheon. Among these, the Green Hwangdo Peach is harvested from the end of June, making it the earliest production period. When the reporter visited the farm, the harvest was already nearing its end, with peaches hanging only on the branches near the tree trunks. The sugar content and harvest time of peaches are determined by sunlight exposure, so peaches on the upper parts of the tree, which receive relatively more sunlight, are harvested first.

The Green Hwangdo Peach is considered the leading variety among Namwon peaches and signals the start of the peach season. Although it is half the size of regular peaches, its average sugar content is high, exceeding 11 Brix. The Green Hwangdo Peach is classified as a 'water peach' with soft flesh. Its texture is so tender that the skin can be peeled off by hand. In fact, biting into a freshly harvested Green Hwangdo Peach on that day immediately revealed its sweetness. Thanks to the climatic characteristics of Namwon, a basin area, high-quality Green Hwangdo Peaches can be cultivated relatively early in the season.

This variety has gained great popularity among consumers. Last year, Homeplus's sales of Green Hwangdo Peaches more than doubled (147%) compared to the previous year, contributing to a 207% increase in overall Namwon peach sales, according to Homeplus.

Bang Geukwan, the owner of Bang Geukwan Farm, is picking green yellow peaches.
[Photo by Homeplus]

Farm owner Bang is running the peach farm as the second generation, following his father. After graduating from an agricultural college, he began managing the farm in earnest and completed a peach cultivation course at the Jeonbuk Agricultural Meister University. Over 90% of the peaches produced annually by Bang are supplied through Homeplus. The secret to opening a sales channel in the large supermarket, known for its high entry barriers, was the new peach variety. While contemplating how to produce differentiated quality peaches, he focused on consumers' interest in new types of peaches. After completing a specialized peach course, he began dedicating himself to producing new peach varieties and partnered with Homeplus, which aims to provide customers with high-quality and novel fruit varieties.

Bang explained that variety selection is more important for peaches than for other fruits. Unlike other fruits such as apples (Busa, Fuji), grapes (Campbell, Shine Muscat), or pears (Shingo), which have representative varieties, peaches do not have a single representative variety. There are over 300 varieties, differing in peach color (white peach, yellow peach) and flesh firmness (water peach, firm peach). Bang said, "Choosing the right variety at the start accounts for more than 70% of successful peach cultivation."

As the earliest harvested peach, great care is taken in selecting high-quality fruit. Since it is the first peach consumers encounter each year, it is important to leave a good 'first impression.' The Green Hwangdo Peach undergoes more than five inspection steps before reaching the display shelf. After the farm owner conducts the first sorting, the peaches are delivered to the Namwon Horticultural Cooperative, where a three-step quality inspection is performed, including checks on appearance, size, weight, and non-destructive sugar content testing. Fruits that do not meet the standards cannot be delivered. After passing these four stages of sorting and inspection, the peaches are packaged and sent to the logistics center, but inspections do not end there. The logistics center randomly selects some products for its own quality checks. If many fruits fail the final quality inspection, they cannot be delivered.

Green Hwangdo peaches packed at the Namwon Horticultural Cooperative Smart Agricultural Products Distribution Center in Namwon-si, Jeonbuk, are waiting to be shipped.
[Photo by Myung-Hwan Lee]

Although the quality verification process involves multiple steps, the peaches harvested that day are served on our tables the very next day. This is because the principle is to display high-quality fruit on store shelves within 24 hours of harvest to ensure freshness. Fruits harvested early in the morning undergo immediate sorting and packaging and are transported from around 6 p.m. to Homeplus logistics centers in Anseong, Gyeonggi, and Haman, Gyeongnam. From there, they are sent to Homeplus stores in various regions.

Since starting to supply to Homeplus, farm owner Bang has been able to focus solely on fruit quality. Homeplus handles everything from purchasing to sales and marketing. He said, "No matter how well you produce, it’s useless if you can’t sell. Thanks to Homeplus purchasing at good prices and handling sales, I am satisfied that I can concentrate only on cultivating high-quality peaches."

Bang hopes that more customers will enjoy the peaches grown with care. He said, "K-pop is famous worldwide, but K-Farm is also famous. Even varieties imported from abroad are grown bigger and better by Korean farmers than the originals," expressing confidence.