After success in attracting tourists with its Korean beef, kimchi and K-Pop culture, Korea now impresses you with its strawberry-themed journeys.
The winter breeze is blowing on South Korea. Although snow has not yet fallen, it's fair to say it's pretty cool on the peninsular. I walk quickly and dart into a well-heated greenhouse for warmth.
It is quite warm and comfortable inside. The farm owner Ji Woon Bae explains that he has to keep his strawberry plantation comfortable at around 25C for best results.
This former engineer quit his job to follow his dream of running Gapyeong Strawberry Experience Farm. He started building this farm two years ago, growing Seol-Hyang strawberries.
"Now I am working alone on this 10,000m² dalki farm. If it goes well, my wife will also quit her job and help me."
Koreans call strawberries dalki. In the past, most Korean farmers grew Japanese strawberry varieties such as Red Pearl and Akihime. But the cost of paying high intellectual fees to Japan, up to about 3 billion won per year (90 million baht), drove Korean farmers to develop their own strawberry varieties: Mae-Hyang and Seol-Hyang, in 2002 and 2005. Mae-Hyang strawberries are hard and good for export while Seol-Hyang strawberries are more delicious but have a softer skin. Thus, they are kept for domestic consumption.
This success led to a big development in strawberry plantations in Korea. Now, over 90% of strawberry farms in Korea grow local varieties. In 2014, Korean farmers harvested over 200,000 tonnes of the fruit, making quite a high profit.
According to Calvin Oh, president of the Korean Strawberry Association, Korea is now among the top five strawberry-producers of the world with total exports valued at US$33 million (1.2 billion baht) in 2015. The number of strawberry farms in Korea have increased dramatically in recent years, as have the number of strawberry-picking tours.
Seol-Hyang strawberries are bigger than strawberries grown in Thailand. But they have a very soft and sensitive skin. The picked fruit can stay just a few days in the refrigerator.
Of course, strawberry farmers, including, Ji Woon Bae, are happy about this.
Instead of waiting until spring for warmer weather, Korean farmers prefer to grow them earlier and make them bear fruit during the winter time for better prices that can attract tourists at the same time.
Ji Woon Bae opens his farm for tourist visits. Tourists can pick the fruits right from the plant, taste them or fill up their stomachs as much as possible. So, I slowly walk through the lush plantation rows and look for all the very ripe ones, the ones which are very red. Ji Woon Bae does quite a good job and his strawberries are rather big. Just four of them alone can fill up the big palm of my hand.
However, the Seol-Hyang strawberries have very soft skin. The fruit cannot be kept overnight after being picked, so most visitors finish them right in the plantations.
"Other fruits make a profit of 25% but strawberries offer a profit of 60-70% if the farms are open for tourists to visit," Ji Woon Bae says. "Moreover, it bears fruit for six months a year."
There are many farms like this open for tourist visits. The Seng Seng Strawberry Farm in Yang Pyeong, 45km from Seoul, develops its idea further by offering strawberry cake-making classes for tourists, too. Besides the strawberry-picking tours, I notice that the fruit is quietly becoming a part of life in Korea, from strawberry-based dishes, strawberry-themed places, strawberry facial masks and even strawberry festivals.
Ji Woon Bae shows us the inside of a beehive. His strawberry farm requires bees to work as pollinators and there are companies in Korea that offer bees for rent. Working with the bees, Bae has to keep his greenhouse warm and clean for the best results. He sets prices at 15,000 won (450 baht) for visits, which includes a free pick up and a 500g pack of strawberries to take back home.
