Waitrose, the John Lewis-owned supermarket chain, is offering its shoppers a new variety of grapefruit in a bid to promote the fruit and encourage more customers to add it to their daily diet.
The Jackson grapefruit is a sweet, non-bitter white variety grown in South Africa that has a unique, smoother taste.
It was added to the shelves of 68 Waitrose stores at the start of the week under the retailer’s Limited Selection brand and will continue to be sold until the end of the month. If successful, the new grapefruit could be rolled out on a larger scale next year.
The move comes after three years of work between Waitrose and a South African citrus fruit producer to create a new sweeter grapefruit.
Jane Goodson, the supermarket’s citrus fruit buyer, said: “July marks the beginning of the main South African grapefruit season. The perfect way for Waitrose to kick-start this season is to debut an alternative variety to help revive the fortunes of this fruit.”
She added: “This is the first year we have managed to bring a crop to market. If it is a success, we will be able to sell more next year, as the yield increases as the grapefruit trees age.”
According to research firm Nielsen, Waitrose currently holds a more than 11 per cent share of the UK grapefruit market.
