"Sweet Sweet Potatoes for Chilly Weather" Lotte Mart Sells 300 Tons of K-Variety

Sale of K-Variety 'Sodammi Sweet Potato' Starts from the 19th
Higher Sugar Content and Softer Texture than Japanese Varieties

Lotte Mart introduces the K-variety 'Sodammi Sweet Potato.'

A model is introducing 'Sodammi Sweet Potato' at Lotte Mart Zeta Flex Seoul Station branch.
[Photo by Lotte Mart].

As morning temperatures drop to around 10 degrees Celsius, the demand for sweet potatoes, a popular winter snack, is increasing. Lotte Mart's sweet potato sales have been rising since October, peaking in January. From October 1 to 17 this year, sweet potato sales grew by 50% compared to the previous year.

Lotte Mart announced that it will be the fastest among offline large retailers to sell 1.5kg of Sodammi sweet potatoes at 7,590 KRW at all stores starting from the 19th. The domestically developed Sodammi sweet potato, created by the Rural Development Administration, is named after the word 'sodamhada,' meaning 'plump and appetizing,' reflecting its large size and elongated shape. Compared to the Japanese variety 'Beniharuka,' known as the 'honey sweet potato,' Sodammi sweet potatoes are characterized by higher sweetness and a softer texture.

Kwon Sang-moon, a vegetable product planner (MD) at Lotte Mart, said, "We devoted a year to efforts such as pilot sales and securing new production areas to introduce high-quality Sodammi sweet potatoes in large quantities." During a field trip last year, Kwon heard from sweet potato farmers that they wanted to cultivate new varieties besides the existing chestnut-type Beniharuka. He then proposed cultivating the high-quality Sodammi sweet potato to some farms. Subsequently, in October last year, 16 tons of Sodammi sweet potatoes were secured for pilot sales, which sold out completely. After confirming the enthusiastic customer response, Kwon visited famous sweet potato production areas such as Haenam and Yeoju about ten times over seven months starting in February this year to secure new Sodammi cultivation sites, enabling Lotte Mart to bring in a total of approximately 300 tons. A cartoon-style sweet potato cooking guide using an air fryer was included inside the box to help consumers easily prepare Sodammi sweet potatoes.

Meanwhile, Lotte Mart also sells 15 K-variety agricultural products including tomatoes and potatoes. Representative products include the 'K-variety Black Tomato,' known for its high sweetness and red color, and the 'K-variety Arisu Apple.' The 'K-variety Gold King Potato,' known for its fluffy texture, is also popular. Lotte Mart stated, "By selling domestically developed agricultural varieties, we aim to reduce the royalties paid for foreign agricultural seeds and help domestic farmers maintain their income through the 'K-Variety Project.'"

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