A grocer scored a “grape” win Thursday in a record-breaking bid for a bunch of the berries at a Japanese fruit auction.

Grocer Takamaru Konishi walked away with about 30 grapes sold for $14,000 CAD, roughly $460 per grape.

According to the Guardian, seasonal fruit auctions are popular in Japan, where fruit is considered a status symbol similar to vintage wine in the West.

The Ruby Roman grapes are cultivated in the Ishikawa Prefecture, off the coast of the Sea of Japan.

Each grape is about the size of a ping pong ball. The grapes must have a sugar content of at least 18 per cent and weigh 20g in order to be considered of the Ruby Roman variety.

The bunch has been carefully cultivated in a 14-year long project led by the government.

The Guardian reports that the first batch of Roman Ruby grapes were introduced to fruit auction market in 2008, and prices have been soaring since.

“I was getting cold sweats,” winning bidder Konishi told reporters. “I am so happy and honoured.”

“We will display them at our store before giving our customers a sample taste,” he said.