Persimmon is high in vitamin C. It contains 4~5 times more than an apple. It is also rich in vitamins A, B and minerals. In addition, it contains a large amount of functional phenol compounds such as catechins, which have excellent antioxidant effects. So persimmon is a useful fruit for our body. Persimmon’s scientific name is ‘Diospyros kaki’, which means ‘God given gift from God’. Gurye, Jeollanam-do is one of the main production areas for Korean sweet persimmons. As Gurye is located at the foot of Jirisan, the second highest mountain in Korea, and is considered a clean area with ‘clear water and fresh air’. The merchantability of Gurye sweet persimmon, including the ones from Yangcheon Farm is crossing the threshold of global markets beyond Korea.

# Korea’s Representative Sweet Persimmon Variety, ‘Buyu’
According to the Gurye Agricultural Technology Center of Korea, Gurye sweet persimmon has a large daily temperature difference, so it has good coloring and high sugar content, and the soil is fertile, therefore the flesh is hard. Yang Jae-so, CEO of Yangcheon Farm, has been farming persimmons in Gurye for three generation. The name of the farm is the same as that of his father, with the idea of inheriting his farther’s legacy of persimmon farming. 
Buyu is the main variety  of Yangcheon Farm. The flesh of Buyu is dense, but soft and juicy. It is a complete sweet persimmon with a slightly brownish spots scattered across the fruit. The sugar contents is high at 15 brix, and the texture is crunchy. The shape is round and Buyu varieties account for 80% of the sweet  persimmon cultivation area in Korea. Although the sweet persimmon varieties are diversifying in Korea recently, Buyu is stil the representative sweet persimmon in Korea. It means that the taste is guaranteed. Above all, Buyu sweet persimmon is suitable for export as it has excellent storage properties. 

CEO Yang Jae-so is the president of the Gurye Persimmon Association and Persimmon Export Producers' Council. He is also active in the Korean Society for the Study of Persimmon. To that extent, CEO Yang treats sweet persimmon with sincerity and this is why sweet persimmons from Yangcheon Farm are recognized as the best product in Gurye. 

#Persistence In ‘Petite Yet Pretty Persimmon’ Export
Gurye sweet persimmon was exported to Hong Kong after the export loading ceremony held in November last year. The volume was 28 tons, more than the times higher than last year’s 8 tons. This shows the overseaspopularity of Gurye sweet persimmon. Gurye persimmon is collected, selected, and exportedby Gurye National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (APC), and sweet persimmon from Yangcheon Farm also undergoes the same process to export. The top priority condition for export Gurye sweet persimmon is that it must be rated higher than ‘good’ in quality level. Any fruits with deformation, even a scratch in the surface or less colored appearance are boldly excluded from the selection process. 
The main export countries of Gurye sweet persimmon are Southeast Asia, such as Malaysia, Vietna, and Singapore. They have preference for small fruits. Whereas Korea has a high preference for big fruits, which explains why the persimmon consumption market is dominated by big fruits. For this reason, persimmon cultivation technology for export is inevitably different from that for domestic demand. Pruning and fruit thinning should be done on time. CEO Yang expresses sweet persimmon for export as ‘Petite, but pretty persimmon’.
Yangcheon Farm is shipping GAP-certified sweet persimmons. CEO Yang explains, “GAP is a certificate that the sweet persimmon is produced in safe environment, and it is also the background for overseas consumers to be confident that they can safety eat Gurye persimmon.”

#Now, Persimmon-Processed Foods Are All Over The World
Yangcheon Farm is also making persimmon processed foods such as dried  persimmons and semi-dried soft persimmons. It is made through Agricultural Corporation, Dalbodre Co., Ltd., which is a 'Gurye persimmon processing factory' that opened in 2018. It uses 'Grade A' persimmon instead of discommodity. CEO Yang said, “We dry the persimmon as it is when making dried persimmons. Therefore, the taste of dried persimmons largely depend on taste of the original crops. The taste of dried persimmons made from tasteless discommodity differ greatly from those made with the prime quality.” CEO Yang is considering oversea expansion of processed persimmon foods as well.
CEO Yang also presented a long-term plan for export, which is to develop a new breed to substitute ‘Buyu’. His plan is to export-only varieties suitable for  overseas regions. It is carefully examining the varieties of sweet persimmons cultivated by Gyeongsangnam-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services.  
CEO Yang Jae-so said, “Korean sweet persimmon is popular overseas for its excellent marketability. Gurye persimmon farm houses will put best effort to produce and export persimmons that suit the taste of overseas consumers by cultivating various varieties besides Buyu.”

Yangcheon Farm
Contact: +82-10-9947-6627

Exporting Countries
-Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore