Pink Pineapples Are Officially Available for Purchase

Sure, some futuristic promises never materialize. We’re all still waiting on our flying cars. But plenty of times, science fiction becomes a reality—whether its video conferencing or grapes that taste like cotton candy. Along those lines, back in 2016, news broke that the FDA had approved a Del Monte-developed, pink-fleshed pineapple for human consumption. Four years later and those pink pineapples are finally available for purchase. It’s like Del Monte knew 2020 would be the year nothing needs to make sense.

Launching today, these officially-named Pinkglow Pineapples are Del Monte Fresh Produce exclusives and available nationwide—but only through two online retailers found via PinkglowPineapple.com. And yes, the Instagram-ready fruit may have missed peak summer rosé season, but at $49 a pop (yes, that’s per pineapple), a Pinkglow will make you look classy any time of year.

“As a leading supplier of fresh pineapples throughout the world, Fresh Del Monte is committed to continuing to invest in our pineapple research and development program to meet the ever-changing needs of our consumers,” Pablo Rivero—vice president marketing, North America, for Fresh Del Monte—said of the fruit that was first put into development way back in 2005. “The Pinkglow Pineapple is a product we are incredibly proud of—not only for its beautiful color and delicious taste, but also because of the care that went into growing and releasing it, as well as the sustainable method we’ve enacted to produce these new pink pineapples.”

So why is this pineapple so expensive? And why’d it take so long to hit the market after its FDA approval? The delay "was mainly associated with the time the government of Costa Rica took to approve the commercial export permit for this variety," Rivero told me via email. "This export permit was granted in August 2019, which enabled Del Monte Fresh Produce to execute some commercial validation trials to evaluate the post-harvest and fruit quality in larger volumes of fruit."

As for the price, Del Monte explains that pineapples actually take as long as 24 months to grow, with Pinkglows specifically being hand-picked “in ultra-limited harvests” on a select farm in Costa Rica. "Additionally, it is important to understand that scaling up production of a new variety from a few plants requires several production cycles of seeds, and in this case each cycle takes more than a year," Rivero continues.

And interestingly, each pineapple sold will result in a new pineapple being grown. As Del Monte explains, Pinkglow Pineapples will arrive without their crown because the brand "will be removing and replanting each crown before shipping, sustainability cultivating the next crop of this magnificent rarity.” So, eventually, the price should eventually come down.

Still, for all this effort and expense, Del Monte also promises customers will be rewarded with a very tasty pineapple. This so-called “Jewel of the Jungle” is billed as “both juicier and sweeter than a traditional pineapple” featuring “a delicious and completely unique taste” that “boasts notes of candy aromatics.” Oh, and every box comes with a certificate of authenticity—because, really, a pink pineapple is practically a work of art.