Lotte Mart Launches New Black-Skinned Watermelon Variety 'Black Winner'

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Lotte Mart announced on the 2nd that it will introduce a new variety of black-skinned watermelon called 'Black Winner,' which has a higher sugar content than the existing black-skinned watermelon.

The black-skinned watermelon has been offered by Lotte Mart since 2012, with sales continuously increasing to handle about 2,500 tons annually. The black-skinned watermelon features a black rind that is thinner and has a better texture and higher sweetness compared to regular watermelons. Unlike the typical green and black striped surface, it has a solid black color with slight leopard-like patterns.

Unlike the usual distribution structure where agricultural products are purchased from production areas, Lotte Mart directly managed all stages from seed selection, contract farming at the production site, to in-store sales for the 'Black Winner' watermelon.

To develop the new seed variety, Lotte Mart has been collaborating with the seed research company 'Nongwoo Bio' for three years, conducting seed tests of the 'Black Winner' watermelon with excellent farms in the production area. Considering optimal climate conditions, they selected 15 farms including the farm of representative farmer Seokgwan Lee in Samnye, Wanju, Jeollabuk-do, and carried out contract farming.

Meanwhile, starting from the 4th, Lotte Mart will sell 'Sanji Ttukshim Wanju Black Winner Watermelon (6-7kg/7-8kg, whole)' harvested in Samnye, Jeollabuk-do, at 12,800 KRW and 13,800 KRW respectively.

Changhyun Lee, Fruit MD (Merchandiser) at Lotte Mart, said, “We believe good fruit starts from good seeds, so we participated directly from seed selection to cultivation. We plan to continue focusing on seed development and production to maximize the natural taste of fruit and provide greater value to customers.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.