Peaches, with soft flesh and sweet juice, taste the best between July and September. Peaches produced during this period have such superb nutrition and taste that they are likened to ‘restorative herb medicine’. Recently, peaches beat out watermelons to become the most popular summer fruit in Korea.

#The Superfood of Summer
The season of sweet peaches has arrived. Peaches are a very attractive fruit for dieters because they are sweet and tasty, yet filling with little calories. There are 35Kcal in 100g of peaches, that is to say, the amount of calories in a peach is only one third of calories in a bowl of rice. Peaches are quite effective in relieving stress owing to amygdalin found in peaches. Amygdalin has the effect of stabilizing nerves, and aids in getting more deep sleep. Peaches can be used to make processed food products such as canned peaches, juice, and jam; and they are also used as the main ingredient in making yogurt. When cooking peaches, you can cut the peach, add a little salt, then bake for about 3 minutes. Grilled peaches allow you to intake all the good nutrients along with different flavors as in the case with pineapples and tomatoes.

#The Most Popular Fruit in Summer
Peaches grown in Korea have varieties that largely include nectarines, white peaches, and yellow peaches. White peaches are the most popular variety with high sugar content and soft texture. Yellow peaches are used for processing owing to their hard flesh, and, unlike the other aforementioned varieties, nectarines have fuzz-less skin, and a harmonious blend of sweet and sour flavors. The main peach producing regions in Korea include Eumseong in Chungcheongbuk-do, Icheon in Gyeonggi-do, and Cheongdo in Gyeongsangbuk-do. Recently, Peaches have become representative fruits of the summer season in korea. According to a survey conducted by a large supermarket, peach sales this year are higher than watermelon sales as in the previous year. The keys to the popularity of peaches included their quality, the increase in one or two-person households, and that they are easy to eat alone in stay-at-home.

As demand for healthy fruit drinks increases, more and more consumers are looking for Korean yuja tea (Korean Citron Tea). Southeast Asian markets are no exception. It can be easily found in large local stores, and especially, on Shopee, the leading online shopping platform in Southeast Asia, yuja tea was listed among the best selling products with sweet taste and well-being keywords.

#Yuja Tea, Korea’s Own
The biggest charm of yuja tea is its beautiful yellow color and sweet and sour taste. In addition, it is good for colds and skin care since it has three times more vitamin C than lemon. It is also known to be rich in organic acids which are good for anti-aging and fatigue recovery. Recently, it has also become popular in Southeast Asia, where yuja tea has relatively kept a low profile. This is due to a growing number of consumers who want healthy yet sweet tea while reducing caffeine intake. In Vietnam, it is increasingly perceived to be ‘Korean yuja tea’ and in Malaysia, recognition of yuja tea is broadening centered on small cafes. The same is the case with online shopping malls. On Shopee Vietnam, ‘DOORAEONE Citron Tea’ was listed among the ‘Favorite’ products, and it also received a high rating and got ‘preferred’ on Shopee Malaysia.

#Yuja Tea and Fruit Tea
The product reviews for yuja tea by Shopee consumers say, in short, “It’s healthy and tasty, and also pretty in design.” For the same reasons for its popularity in Southeast Asia, it is receiving favorable reviews mainly regarding health and taste. Such product reviews as “good for colds” stood out owing to the growing concerns about respiratory diseases caused by COVID-19. With the increasing popularity of Korean yuja tea, the teas made by combining various raw materials are also gaining popularity. Typical examples include GINSENG Honey Citron Tea, in which ginseng is added to yuja, and GINGER Honey Citron Tea, which is made with a combination of yuja and ginger. In addition, Jujube Tea was also purchased by consumers as they were sold in pairs with Yuja Tea.