Retailer Intimex now sells Japanese Aomori apples

The first Aomori apples arrived in Haiphong port on December 9 and are expected to be sold at all Intimex stores, as well as at Big C and Unimart stores on December 18 and will be a great gift one can give to family and friends for the New Year.

The apples are imported from Aomori prefecture of Japan. They are harvested in the 2016 crop. This is the first official batch of apples imported from Japan to Vietnam after Vietnam officially allowed apple imports from Japan at the end of 2015.

As food safety is a concern in Vietnam, clean and high-quality apples from Aomori that meet international standards will give consumers a new option at a reasonable price.

According to Dinh Tien Thanh, general director of Intimex Vietnam JSC, Intimex has to make sure that the apples meet the strict quality requirements.

“We spent almost two years working with the authorities of Aomori and exporters, supervising the process of planting the apples from the step of preparation for planting to harvesting and packaging to make sure that the apples that arrive in Vietnamese consumers’ home will truly be the famous Aomori apples,” he said.

Aomori is a famous apple growing region of Japan, providing 50 per cent of the total volume of apples in Japan. Before getting to the table, Aomori apples were produced with utmost care by Aomori farmers. After harvest, the apples are categorised according to their colour, size and ripeness. Careful analysis on the quality of soil, pesticide residue and radiation residue is done to ensure the quality of each apple.

In the first batch, Intimex is importing apples of the two most favourite breeds namely Fuji, whose fruits are red, sweet and juicy and Kinsei, whose fruits are yellow and a bit sour.

The apples are among the first products that Intimex imports as part of its strategy to import high quality, clean and safe products from strict markets such as Japan. The strategy aims to help Intimex compete better domestically.