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The Korea Fruit Industry Expo is Korea’s premier fruit selection competition, with more than 150 entries in 11 categories, including apples, pears, citrus, grapes, kiwis, persimmons, tomatoes, and paprikas, vying for top honors. Judges evaluate the fruit through a thorough quality evaluation, precise measurements, and visual inspection. Best in Category, Excellence Awards, and other awards are given based on several criteria, including appearance, size, color, ripeness, and freshness. In terms of taste, fruits are judged on flavor, sweetness, and acidity, while storage and packaging are judged on shelf life and presentation. Additional points are awarded for quality control during production, adherence to hygiene standards and the use of environmentally-friendly farming practices. Finally, innovation is factored in, including the development of new varieties, growing techniques and packaging designs. In this highly competitive contest, the winning entries almost always achieve near-perfect scores in almost every judging category. Against this challenging backdrop, Eden Farming, located in Hamyang at the foot of Mt. Jiri, has achieved an extraordinary feat: winning the title of Korea’s Best Apple for three consecutive years - 2022, 2023, and 2024. In 2022, Eden Farming’s Shinano Gold, commonly known as the “Golden Apple,” became the first of its kind to win the Excellence Award in the apple category. The following year, in 2023, the same variety won the prestigious Grand Prize, recognized as the best fruit in Korea. This year, the orchard won the Best in Category award for apples. Such a streak of consecutive awards is unprecedented in the Korean apple industry. Eden Farming’s CEO, Oh Seong-seob, attributed this remarkable success to the orchard’s exceptional geographic location at Mt. Jiri, the superior taste and quality of its apples, innovative packaging methods, and commitment to environmentally-friendly farming practices. Eden Farming grows 7,000 apple trees in its 7,000-pyeong (approximately 23,140 square meters) orchard. The orchard uses cutting-edge techniques such as high-density planting, multi-leader training systems, and double-row structures. Over the past five years, CEO Oh Seong-seob has undertaken a transformative overhaul of the farm. This included removing 3,000 12-year-old apple trees, previously dominated by the Busa and Hongro varieties, and replacing them with new cultivars to create a high-density, multi-leader orchard. As a result, Eden Farming now boasts a diverse range of apple varieties, including 3,000 Shinano Gold trees, 1,500 Enbu trees, 1,000 Dahong trees, 700 Arisu trees, 700 Geumhong trees, and 700 Moon Rouge trees. In addition to diversifying its apple varieties, the farm has implemented environmentally-friendly farming practices to improve soil health and immunity. These practices include the use of herbal compost, apple juice byproduct fertilizer, agricultural liquid fertilizer, effective microorganisms (EM), and soil amendments such as sulfur-based products. To address the challenges of climate change, Eden Farming has also installed micro-sprinklers and shading nets to grow healthier, more flavorful apples. These innovative efforts have solidified Eden Farming’s reputation as a leader in the Korean apple industry. Eden Farming’s flagship variety, Shinano Gold (Golden Apple), is a bright yellow apple known for its exceptional balance of sweetness and acidity, juicy texture, and impressive resistance to discoloration. With 3,000 Shinano Gold trees, this variety is the cornerstone of the farm’s production. Another standout variety is the Enbu Apple (Peach Apple), which has the red flesh that inspired its nickname. Celebrated for its rich peach-like aroma and exquisite balance of sweetness and acidity, the Enbu Apple offers a flavor profile that captivates the palate. Although more challenging to grow than other varieties, its unmatched flavor sets a new standard in apple quality. The Moon Rouge Apple, a recent addition whose first crop is expected in 2025, has a striking orange exterior and red-striped flesh, delivering a tart yet sweet flavor profile that sets it apart. In addition to these signature varieties, Eden Farming grows a diverse range of apples including Geumhong, Arisu, Chohong, Dahong, Nagano Shingu and Busa. Together, these nine varieties yield approximately 10,000 boxes of apples annually, generating direct sales of KRW 500 million.

Gamsa Farm is located at an altitude of 1,300 meters. It benefits from excellent drainage and significant temperature variations between day and night. This environment helps the farm produce persimmons with a firm texture, crisp flavor, high sweetness and vibrant color. However, farming on steep mountain slopes presents challenges. The farm avoids herbicides entirely; grass is mowed by hand and turned into compost to enrich the soil. Fertilizers made from beneficial microorganisms, seaweed powder, and fish meal are fermented to nourish the soil, allowing roots to decompose organically and enrich the soil as the grass decomposes in the fall, facilitating aeration. This practice encourages thriving worm populations, which create natural airways and increase microbial activity, resulting in healthier soil. The limited use of chemical fertilizers results in “DanGam4U” persimmons. The persimmon trees at Gamsa Farm produce approximately 90% male flowers and 10% female flowers. The abundant pollen from the male flowers helps fertilize the female flowers, increasing fruit production. Even under adverse weather conditions, Gamsa Farm experienced significantly less natural flower drop than non-pollinated persimmon orchards. This innovative cultivation method was introduced by Seo Min-ho, the head of Gamsa Farm. The origin of the farm dates back to the mid-1950s under the leadership of Seo Gi-jo. After he passed away 25 years ago, the farm was left to his youngest son, Seo Min-ho. Persimmon trees can bear fruit for more than a century, and the average age of the 800 trees at Gamsa Farm is about 40 years. Of these, 300 trees were planted by Seo Gi-jo, while 500 were added by Seo Min-ho in 1986, shortly after completing his military service. This year, Gamsa Farm faced challenges due to high temperatures in August and September, which stunted persimmon growth and delayed ripening by 10 to 15 days compared to last year. The first harvest attempt on October 25 was postponed due to unripe fruit, and the full harvest began on November 17. Harvesting typically takes 15 to 20 days. About 4,000 crates of persimmons, each weighing 10 kilograms, are collected from the farm’s 7,000 pyeong (about 23,000 square meters) of land. The persimmons are stored in the farm’s cold storage facilities from mid-December to the end of February. Gamsa Farm’s single variety “Buyu” persimmons can remain on the tree for about one month after ripening and can be stored for up to five months. This year’s expected yield of 40 tons will be distributed to Hyundai Department Store Apgujeong in Seoul and the well-known Korean vegetable retail chain “Chonggakne Vegetable Store”, which has been a major outlet for the farm for the past decade. “DanGam4U” persimmons are recognized as Korea’s finest, ensuring consistent demand. A 10-kilogram box of premium persimmons sells for KRW 60,000. Including smaller fruits, the average price per box is around KRW 30,000, resulting in an expected revenue of KRW 120 million. Seo Min-ho was named one of Korea’s Top 100 Star Farmers by the National Quality Management Institute for his exemplary farming practices and superior yields. His methods and results distinguish him as a leader in agriculture. Gamsa Farm’s persimmons won top honors in a national produce competition organized by the Quality Management Institute. The Rural Development Administration also recognized its fruit as one of the best in the “Top Fruit” program.