The long holiday season is starting and lasts on and off until Chinese New Year 2018. Many people are looking for the best gift for their lover, family and friends. Well, we consider Phuket pineapples as great gifts. After a successful promotional campaign last year Phuket’s legendary pineapples are back!
Perhaps you’ve already heard of this delicious local fruit’s reputation and of its delicate taste along with its sweet and sour crunchy texture. It’s certainly unique and much sought after. Khun Pracha Samakkhi knows very well about this and been leading the campaign supporting Phuket’s pineapples for a while now. Khun Wirachai Pranveerapaibool, the Managing Director of this organization mentions that the main point of the project is to increase the revenue for farmers and to conserve the unique character of Phuket’s pineapples. So, the organization set about branding and repackaging the image of local pineapples. Normally pineapples come into fruition around February, close to Chinese New Year celebrations. Pineapples are an auspicious fruit and the Chinese Hokkien’s name for the pineapple also has positive connotations so Phuket locals use the pineapple as a sacred fruit during the celebrations. So the best 100 pineapples were selected and packaged as gifts in this New Year’s season. The pineapples are packed in a good quality wooden box and sell at 1,543 baht per piece. Yes, you read that correctly! This was for a symbolic reason; 543 is the size of Phuket Island and the ‘1’ stands for the best premium.
The past year’s promotional campaign was more successful than hoped and there was a press conference in December so that people could order a fresh batch of this famous fruit.
There are three main criteria that ensure the best quality of Phuket’s pineapples: weight, shape, and taste. These criteria were set by Phuket’s agriculture group and farmers that have had experience in planning the health of pineapples for many years now. But it’s not only the quality of the pineapple itself that is important the packaging is also crucial. The box is made of wood with the same quality of an expensive wine box. There is also decorative paper packaging in a ‘Year of the Dog’ motif designed by a Russia artist named Ludmila Letnikova who is enthusiastic about Phuket culture. The package also includes a Chinese card wishing good health and wealth as well as a bronze medal guaranteed by the provincial governor.
The main concept of the campaign not only to increase revenue for farmers, but also to aim to stick to the original quality and uniqueness of Phuket’s pineapples. Nowadays, there are many non-Phuket pineapples for sale in Phuket. Some even claim that these are original island pineapples. However, original Phuket pineapples must get a GI, a geographical indication certificate.
So if you wish to order some of the world’s best pineapples go to https://www.facebook.com/socialenterprisephuket/. I’m sure that they’ll make a perfect gift for your loved one during Chinese New Year 2018.
