Not Fresh Fruit, but Juice Concentrate?... In-Depth Look at Watermelon Juice from Café Chains [Matjalal X-File]

Comparison of Watermelon Juice Ingredients at 7 Café Chains
Origin of Watermelon, Serving Size, and Sugar Content Analyzed

The scorching heat, with temperatures hovering over 30 degrees Celsius, has arrived earlier than usual. As you walk outside, it's easy to feel parched in no time. At such moments, a sweet and refreshing drink becomes essential. With the early arrival of the heat, watermelon juice, the quintessential summer beverage, has returned to the market. To accommodate the earlier-than-usual heat, the café industry began selling watermelon juice more than ten days earlier than in previous years. How about a glass of hydrating watermelon juice?

In this edition of “Matjalal X-File,” we thoroughly examine, compare, and analyze various watermelon juice products that have just hit the market. We’ll take a closer look at seven offerings: The Venti’s “Watermelon Juice,” Tous Les Jours’ “Watermelon Smoothie,” Mega MGC Coffee’s “Honey Watermelon Juice,” Paik’s Coffee’s “Our Watermelon Juice,” Starbucks’ “Watermelon Juice Blended,” Compose Coffee’s “Watermelon Juice from Nonsan,” and Paris Baguette’s “Watermelon Juice.”

Analysis of Watermelon Juice Ingredients from 7 Café Brands

According to the café industry on May 17, all seven companies use pressed watermelon juice concentrate in their drinks. Many cafés display posters featuring the vivid red color of watermelon juice, which often leads customers to believe the drinks are freshly made by blending whole watermelons on-site. In fact, at some cafés, the challenging process of slicing and juicing watermelons even during busy hours has led employees to refer to it as a “love-hate menu.”

However, most major café chains have recently shifted to preparing pressed watermelon juice concentrate at factories in advance and delivering it to each store. This allows staff to prepare drinks quickly and easily. Due to the nature of fruit as an ingredient—short shelf life and large size—distribution is challenging. Moreover, with demand peaking in summer, sudden sourcing of watermelons can drive up prices, so this approach also helps maintain price competitiveness, according to industry sources.

The origin of the watermelon used for juice concentrate varies by café. Paik’s Coffee and Compose Coffee use domestic watermelons, while Starbucks uses a mix of domestic and imported sources. Paik’s Coffee sources watermelons from six regions: Haman, Uiryeong, Eumseong, Gochang, Bonghwa, and Yanggu. Compose Coffee uses Nonsan watermelons. The Venti, Tous Les Jours, Mega MGC Coffee, and Paris Baguette use imported watermelons, predominantly from Vietnam for their beverages.

Different Serving Sizes by Brand... Value Coffee Chains Offer Larger Sizes

An industry official stated, “With domestic watermelon demand surging, securing supply has become challenging. For companies selling watermelon juice every summer, maintaining a stable supply of raw materials is crucial for price competitiveness.” Because using domestic watermelons is a significant marketing point, Paik’s Coffee and Compose Coffee have included “Our” or “Nonsan” in their product names to highlight this fact.

With the early heat causing watermelon demand to rise rapidly, the price of domestic watermelons has soared compared to average years. According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) “Agricultural Products Distribution Information,” as of May 13, a retail-grade watermelon sold for 29,243 won. This is up 35.9% from the average year and 24.7% from the previous year. Even compared to last month’s average, the price increased by 4.5%. Despite the price hike, companies using domestic watermelons have no plans to raise their product prices.

During a heatwave, people crave large quantities of cold beverages to quench their thirst. Let’s compare the serving sizes of watermelon juice.

The largest serving size is The Venti’s “Watermelon Juice” in the Jumbo size. The Venti sells two sizes—Large (600ml) and Jumbo (960ml)—and the Jumbo size is the biggest among the seven products. Next is Paik’s Coffee at 710ml, followed by Compose Coffee and Mega MGC Coffee at 591ml each. Value coffee chains tend to offer larger serving sizes for watermelon juice.

Average Sugar Content: 9g per 100ml... Tous Les Jours Has the Highest

Recently, more consumers are paying attention not only to total volume but also to sugar content for health reasons. For those concerned about the sweet taste of watermelon juice, here’s what we found. The average sugar content across the seven products is 9.1g per 100ml. For comparison, Starbucks’ Vanilla Latte (with syrup) contains about 9.9g of sugar per 100ml, which gives you an idea of the sweetness.

Among the seven watermelon juices on the market, Tous Les Jours’ “Watermelon Smoothie” had the highest sugar content, with 14.8g of sugar per 100ml. Starbucks’ “Watermelon Juice Blended” also exceeded the average, at 12.1g. The lowest was Mega MGC Coffee’s “Honey Watermelon Juice” with 5.5g per 100ml, 3.6g below the average. An industry official explained, “The sugar content in watermelon juice depends on the ingredients, such as the watermelon itself and added elements like honey or syrup.”

Price is also an important consideration for those looking to grab a quick drink on the go. Watermelon juice prices varied widely, from the 3,000-won range up to the 7,000-won range. The most expensive was Starbucks’ “Watermelon Juice Blended” at 7,100 won, while the least expensive was Compose Coffee’s “Watermelon Juice from Nonsan” at 3,900 won. The average price across the seven products was 4,830 won.

Each company has ambitiously launched drinks to quench consumers’ thirst during the hot summer months. Of course, what each consumer looks for in a glass of juice will differ. We hope you’ll carefully consider your options and enjoy a healthy, refreshing summer!

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