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3-3 Market Demand

In the 1980s, grape farmers sold directly to consumers through the "pick-your-own" approach. By the 1990s, some farmers started using freight services to deliver directly to consumers' homes. As home delivery services entered the direct fruit sales market, a model emerged that emphasized harvesting in the afternoon and delivering the next day.

Dacun grapes have shifted from being a commodity fruit to a high-end agricultural product in the domestic market, a transformation reflected in both price structure and consumer behavior. According to research from the Taichung District Agricultural Improvement Station (early 2000s), the wholesale price of fresh grapes was about 30-40 NTD per kilogram. By 2024, top-quality gift boxes with product traceability certification could reach prices over 150 NTD per catty (approximately 330 NTD per kilogram), a price increase of more than seven times. This price gap reflects clear market segmentation—regular items are still supplied to traditional markets at 80-100 NTD per catty, while high-end items, cultivated with “bagging methods” and “certified with traceability labels”, target the high-end market. This strategy allows farmers to earn higher profits.

Currently, Taiwan's annual consumption of fresh grapes is about 80,000 to 100,000 metric tons, and Dacun's annual production is around 10,000 metric tons.