Oishii is one of the only “luxury” fruit brands we’ve come across. The company grows strawberries hydroponically and sells them for nearly $20 per package.

But is Oishii healthier than regular strawberries, or is it a waste of money? Is hydroponically-grown food healthier? Do Oishii strawberries taste better? And why are they so expensive?

In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we review how Oishii strawberries are grown to give our take on whether or not they’re healthier than supermarket strawberries.

We’ll feature real customer reviews including taste tests, as well as a video interviewing their founder at their farm that explains why Oishii is so expensive.

Are Oishii Strawberries Healthier?

Right on the homepage of the Oishii website, the brand claims their strawberries are different from regular strawberries, mentioning that they’re pesticide-free, nutrient-rich and non-GMO.

But do these differences justify the price?

The fact that Oishii strawberries are pesticide-free does make them healthier than conventional strawberries.

A medical review published in the Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology journal documents how pesticides can damage human DNA, and are associated with increased risk of cancer and various health disorders.

The ability to entirely eliminate pesticide use is one of the reasons why hydroponic farming is so promising.

But there are other hydroponic fruit and veggie brands that are cheaper than Oishii.

Some small-scale farmers are able to avoid pesticide use as well, so it may be worthwhile for consumers interested in the health benefits of Oishii strawberries to visit a local farmer’s market and ask the farmers if they use pesticides on their crops.

We haven’t seen any evidence that Oishii strawberries are more nutrient-rich than other strawberry brands, or that the “non-GMO” designation means anything from a health perspective.

We Tried Oishii Ourselves

As the author of this article, I wanted to try Oishii strawberries myself to share my thoughts on the taste and overall product experience.

I found a pack at my local Whole Foods and they were actually cheaper than initially advertised, costing around $15.

There was a lot of plastic involved in the packaging (both interior and exterior) which I dislike.

The texture and taste of the strawberries were perfect. The texture was smooth and all strawberries were perfectly ripe. The taste was sweet and slightly tart without any bitterness.

These were definitely some of the best-tasting strawberries I've had in my life.

I can't bring myself to pay more than $1 per strawberry on a regular basis, so I don't plan to purchase this product in the future.

Overall, I'd rate Oishii strawberry 7/10.

Is Hydroponic Fruit Healthier?

If you’ve read to this point in the article, you’re probably thinking “if pesticides are so harmful, should I replace all of my fruits and veggies with hydroponically-grown alternatives?”

In our opinion, it’s worth replacing as much conventionally-grown produce with hydroponically-grown produce as possible.

As we discussed in our hydroponic weed review article, eliminating pesticide intake can reduce one of the risk factors for disease in the modern world.

Unfortunately, there don't appear to be hydroponically-grown brands for every category of produce yet, but we’ve been noticing more and more hydroponic fruits and veggies in our local supermarkets.

The health benefits of conventionally-grown produce still drastically outweigh any health risks, and dietary diversity is shown in medical studies to improve gut health, so we don’t recommend avoiding any fruit or vegetable just because it’s conventionally-grown.

Oishii Taste Tests

A YouTube creator named “Veggiekins” compared the taste of Oishii strawberries to local supermarket strawberries:

Another YouTube influencer named “Xiaomanyc” had random strangers on the streets of NYC try Oishii strawberries and give their take:

Why is Oishii So Expensive?

CNBC interviewed Oishii’s founder, toured the company's facility and explained the interesting backstory of the company in a video with over 70,000 views:

Oishii Pros and Cons

Here are the pros and cons of Oishii strawberries in our opinion:

Pros:

• Hydroponically-grown
• Pesticide-free
• Most taste tests are positive
• Healthier than traditional strawberries in our opinion
• Aesthetically-pleasing branding & packaging

Cons:

• Extremely expensive
• We can't find evidence the brand is healthier than other hydroponic brands
• We can't find evidence these strawberries are richer in nutrients than conventional strawberries

Conclusion

Oishii strawberries may be worth it from a taste perspective, but that’s subjective.

Most real reviewers said that Oishii strawberries tasted great.

From purely a health perspective, it probably doesn’t make sense to spend 300% of the amount just because they’re pesticide-free, but for consumers with high discretionary income, it may be worth it.

We generally recommend eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables regardless of their sourcing, but eliminating pesticide intake by eating hydroponically-grown fruit brands like Oishii can have marginal health benefits.

In the future, we hope to see more hydroponic fruit and vegetable brands emerge, and the cost continue to decrease due to improved efficiency.