KOMPEITO Turns Off-Spec Miura-Grown Watermelon into Konjac Jelly—A New Health-Cafeteria Menu Delivered to 25,000 Offices Nationwide

KOMPEITO Inc., in partnership with JA Zen-Noh Kanagawa, has launched an initiative to process out-of-spec watermelons from Miura, Kanagawa—rejected from the regular market due to blemishes or misshapen forms—into konjac jelly. Through the placement-type healthy workplace food service "OFFICE DE YASAI," it will be delivered to offices across the country at more than 25,000 locations. The announcement was made on June 9, 2026. A summer fruit that had lost its place in the field is reborn as an item delivered to the desks of working people.

Watermelons that couldn't reach market due to blemishes or misshapen forms become the raw material

The raw material this time came from watermelons grown on the Miura Peninsula that, due to surface blemishes or misshapen forms, could not be put on regular distribution. Even when there is no problem with the taste or the inside, the moment they fall outside the appearance standard they lose their price—this structure has generated waste and cost burdens in growing regions.

Rather than throwing these away as is, KOMPEITO took them in as the raw material for a processed product: konjac jelly. Maiko Harada, in charge of product planning, says the design suppresses the grassy note characteristic of watermelon while retaining the graininess of the red flesh to keep the fun of its appearance.

An item born from the partnership with JA Zen-Noh Kanagawa

Behind this is a trend of growing regions and processing manufacturers joining hands directly. JA Zen-Noh Kanagawa creates an outlet for out-of-spec produce, and KOMPEITO puts it on its own sales channels. Producers reduce waste, the manufacturer secures a stable raw material, and consumers receive an affordable item. It's an arrangement that generates advantages for all three parties.

Moves to convert out-of-spec produce into bottled or processed goods are spreading in various regions.Whole out-of-spec mandarins bottled as "Marumaru Mikan"As with that, the idea of turning the unevenness of fruit directly into value is taking hold.

The particular nature of the "office vegetable" distribution channel

What deserves attention is where this product is placed. "OFFICE DE YASAI" is a placement-type healthy workplace food service that puts a refrigerator or freezer in the workplace and regularly delivers salads, fruit, and prepared dishes. Employees can buy an item for around 100 yen and use it around the clock, and it has spread as an employee-benefit service available 24 hours a day. Adopting workplaces are also valued in the context of health management, with 847 client companies certified as "Health & Productivity Management Outstanding Organizations 2025."

How growing regions and the front lines receive it

Initiatives like this draw evaluations from multiple standpoints. For the growing region, it is significant that out-of-spec produce, which until now carried no price, gains an outlet. For the processing manufacturer, there is the advantage of being able to procure a bulk raw material, even if seasonal. For the working people who use it at the office, the added experiential value comes from the convenience of being able to eat it with one hand and from an item with a summery feel.

Around health management, the weight of food-focused measures is increasing.The trend in which Health & Productivity Management Outstanding Organizations 2026 expanded to 26,850 organizations and food became the top themeIn light of this, the role played by an item delivered to the workplace is no small thing.

Impact on readers—where employee benefits and out-of-spec vegetables intersect

For food manufacturers and those in charge of employee benefits, this case holds two implications. One is that out-of-spec produce can turn into a "product employees are pleased with." The other is that partnering with growing regions heightens the narrative value of employee benefits. A product that can tell who grew the vegetables and where carries meaning beyond a mere snack.

Agriture, too, has advanced an initiative to deliver vegetables and dried vegetables to workplaces in the form of a greengrocer for offices, within the context of health management and employee benefits. The idea of turning out-of-spec vegetables into value rather than discarding them overlaps with the thinking we have built up on the front lines.

Ripple effect on the industry—a new market of out-of-spec × employee benefits

Making use of out-of-spec vegetables and health management have until now been discussed in separate contexts. When the two intersect, a cycle emerges in which corporate employee-benefit demand absorbs the surplus of growing regions. From the standpoint of stable supply, dry processing is also an effective option. Because dried vegetables are less affected by weather and keep well, they are easy to handle as stock ingredients for the office, too. It was precisely this stability that OYAOYA focused on when it converted out-of-spec Kyoto-grown vegetables into dried vegetables.

Making use of them at home and in the workplace

Out-of-spec fruit and vegetables can be fully used up at home, too, with a little ingenuity. Even if the shape is uneven, chopping them means appearance is no longer an issue. Drying them raises storability further, and they can go straight into soups and simmered dishes. In the workplace as well, incorporating such ingredients makes it easier for communication through food to arise.

Summary

Out-of-spec watermelons from Miura are reborn as konjac jelly and delivered to offices at more than 25,000 locations nationwide. This whole flow sits at the point where two themes—rescuing out-of-spec vegetables and health management—intersect. How do you turn vegetables that lose their place in the field into value? This case offers a concrete answer to that question in the form of partnering with growing regions and workplace distribution.

Reference

• coki "KOMPEITO turns out-of-spec Miura watermelons into konjac jelly"
• KOMPEITO Inc. official website