Innovative Sweet Palermo partnership creates value in Korea

Following the recent successful launch of the Silky Pink brand in the snack tomato category in Korea, Rijk Zwaan is keen to keep the momentum going in this rapidly evolving Asian market. Nongsan Trading – Korea's largest sweet pepper company – recognised growing local consumer demand for premium, sweet and versatile specialty peppers. The two companies have now intensified their long-standing strategic partnership to introduce the Sweet Palermo pointed pepper concept together.

Redefining the pepper category

“What stands out most is Rijk Zwaan’s exceptional breeding technology, unwavering commitment to quality, and technical support,” says Jongkwan Park, General Manager of Nongsan Trading. “This, combined with Sweet Palermo's outstanding uniformity, high sugar content and unique flavour profile, convinced us it was the ideal choice to elevate our product portfolio.”

From a production perspective, Sweet Palermo offers excellent yield stability, strong disease resistance and adaptability, ensuring harvest reliability for growers. But innovation goes beyond genetics. As a marketing concept, it redefines the pepper category – moving away from a basic vegetable to a premium, sweet snackable fruit with distinct colours, powerful storytelling and high culinary versatility.

Jongkwan Park, General Manager of Nongsan Trading

Benefits across the value chain

Sweet Palermo therefore has all the right ingredients to create a win-win ecosystem across the entire value chain, according to Jongkwan Park. “Growers benefit from steady demand and secure income. Retailers appreciate the consistent supply and premium positioning, meaning they can enjoy category growth, high margins and strong customer retention through differentiated offerings. Foodservice clients gain an inspiring, high-quality ingredient that elevates their culinary creations,” comments the general manager.

Surge in sales

To communicate Sweet Palermo's unique value proposition directly to health-conscious consumers and culinary professionals, the two companies are collaborating closely on a wide range of marketing activities. These include joint campaigns featuring co-branded promotional materials and digital marketing initiatives, in-store retail activations and targeted tasting events at major supermarkets. The response has been overwhelmingly positive. “Consumers praise Sweet Palermo’s exceptional crispness, rich natural sweetness and skin-thin texture. In fact, tasting promotions resulted in an immediate surge in trial purchases and repeat sales,” states Jongkwan Park.

Sweet Palermo

Future-proof partnerships

“It always puts a smile on our faces when we see local consumers and business partners genuinely delighted by the exceptional taste and premium quality of the crops we introduce together with Rijk Zwaan, and Sweet Palermo is a great example of this,” he continues. “We hope visitors will enjoy tasting premium varieties like Sweet Palermo on the Rijk Zwaan booth during Asia Fruit Logistica. The event is a valuable opportunity to explore global produce trends, discover upcoming innovations and discuss future-proof partnership opportunities.”

Shaping the future of premium snacks

“Successful category development requires collaboration throughout the chain,” says Young Han, Managing Director of Rijk Zwaan South Korea. “By leveraging our robust varieties, global brand power and strong industry networks together with Nongsan Trading, we are helping to shape the future premium snack vegetable segment in Korea.”

Join us at Asia Fruit Logistica

At Rijk Zwaan, we believe that care turns clients into partners. Visit us at Stand 05A02 during Asia Fruit Logistica from 2-4 September to discover how Rijk Zwaan’s solutions help improve supply security, increase efficiency, reduce waste and unlock growth opportunities for our fresh produce chain partners. See you in Hong Kong!