Pineberry

The word Pineberry is a fusion of the words “pineapple” and “strawberry” and refers to a relatively new pale pink or pale orange to white strawberry cultivar that is adorned with red achenes (see the Strawberry Seeds page for more information).  Like the modern Garden Strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa), the pineberry is a hybrid of the wild South American strawberry Fragaria chiloensis, which grows wild in some parts of Chile, and the North American strawberry Fragaria virginiana.  The pineberry fruit is the result of cross-breeding, not genetic engineering as has been claimed by some.

In fact, the specific strawberry variety whose genetics contribute to the striking appearance of the pineberry was “rescued” by a group of Dutch farmers.  They discovered the source material in France.  They did not find and rescue the pineberry from extinction in the wilds of Chile, as some have claimed.  After six years of plant selection and cultivation, the plant vigor and quality of the pineberry plants was improved, and the decision to begin growing them for commercial production was made.

The fruit produced by pineberry plants is very aromatic and has flavor that most say is reminiscent of pineapple while retaining the texture and feel of a strawberry.  The pineberry, or pineapple strawberry, is more of a novelty at present.  They are produced on a very small scale in Europe and Belize and are not very profitable due to the small size of the pineberries (large pineberries are less than an inch [2.54 cm] big) and the low yield of pineberry plants.

 Are Pineberries Real? Yes, pineberries are real.  The primary commercial cultivar is owned by strawberry breeder Hans de Jongh and the pineberries are sold by VitalBerry BV in the city of Made, Netherlands.  Their supplier is Holland’s Beekers Berries who grows them in very large, commercial glasshouses.  While the fruits are generally referred to as “pineberries,” the German word meaning pineapple strawberry, “ananaserdbeere,” is occasionally used to reference them as well.

Questions over the existence of pineberries arose after two events cast doubts on their reality.  The UK grocery store chain Waitrose was the only supplier of pineberries to the UK market.  In the year Waitrose was to initially offer pineberries on a limited basis, they announced the new fruit offering just prior to April 1.  Since the store chain had previously run “April Fools” ads for an obviously made up “pinana” (a pineapple banana), many assumed that the pineberry was a similar joke.  Additionally, a search engine optimization company adopted Pineberry as its name just prior to the Waitrose announcement.  The pineberry products showed on the SEO company’s sites were clearly not real products.  These two concurrent happenings led to much skepticism and doubts about the existence of such pineapple strawberries.

Commercial pineberries are only available for a period of about five weeks.  If demand increases, production will likely rise to meet the demand.  However, they have been sold in the UK in forty-five Waitrose stores in the past.  They generally sold for £2.99 to £3.99 (approximately USD $4.50 to $6.00) for a 125 gram bag (4.4 oz).

While likely not identical to the pineberry, Chileans claim that their native strawberry plant is the same as the pineberry.  In Chile, this fragrant fruit is referred to as Frutilla Chilena.
While the official promotional materials laud the pineberry as a heavenly taste experience, some food critics aren’t as high on the newly commercialized designer fruit.  It’s flavor has been referred to as watery, nippy, and tasting like an unripe strawberry.  However, like most things, taste preferences are highly subjective, and there are equally numerous positive taste experiences on record.  So, judge for yourself.
Official website about Pineberry