Dried watermelon
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Product overview of dried watermelon (Nagano-grown)
Nagano-grown watermelon nurtured by the temperature difference unique to high-altitude regions is lavishly sliced and slowly dried at low temperature. By carefully finishing this fruit with its high moisture content, it becomes a unique dried fruit that concentrates the watermelon’s inherent juicy sweetness and a faint green aroma.
Without using any sugar or additives, it seals in the natural sweetness and aroma as they are, making it ideal for confectionery and tea-making uses that seek the flavor of the ingredient itself. With its gentle flavor and visual impact, it is also popular as a gift or topping.
Three points of commitment for dried watermelon
01 Grown by partner farmers in Nagano Prefecture
Uses Nagano-grown watermelon in which sweetness is stored by the day-night temperature difference due to altitude. Sourced from partner farmers and processed all at once in the July–August peak season, it is crafted into a raw material with a sense of season.
02 The difficult drying of watermelon, with proprietary technology
Watermelon has an overwhelmingly high moisture content, making it a fruit that’s difficult to dry-process. At Agriture, with proprietary low-temperature, long-time drying know-how, we finish it into dried watermelon that retains the ingredient’s inherent sweetness and aroma.
03 Sugar-free and additive-free, for a natural finish
Without using any sugars, additives, or colorants, it retains the watermelon’s inherent pale red color and green aroma as they are. Because the market circulation volume is small, it also becomes a centerpiece material for product development where you want to achieve differentiation.
Product catalog showing the items we handle
Flexible support from small lots to large lots
- Sold in small lots from 100g
- Handling heirloom vegetables from across Japan
- Dried fruits and herbs also supported
Characteristics of commercial dried watermelon
Nagano-grown watermelon
Uses watermelon sourced from partner farmers within Nagano Prefecture. The temperature difference due to altitude draws out the sweetness, letting a fresh, juicy flavor ride onto the raw material.
Slices of red flesh + rind portion
The slice shape including the red flesh and rind portion has big impact from the red-and-green contrast. It is a shape you can use as-is in products with strong visual appeal.
A highly rare raw material
Dried watermelon, with little market circulation, has rarity itself as a differentiation element. It is also valued as a centerpiece material for summer-limited or summer-gift plans.
6-month room-temperature storage
Fresh watermelon has low keeping quality and is a hard-to-handle ingredient for commercial uses, but drying processing enables 6 months of room-temperature storage. It can also be deployed in product plans for seasons other than summer.
Small-lot 100g support
Supportable from a minimum of 10 bags / 100 g units, flexibly accommodating prototyping by craft makers too. You can expand in stages from package testing.
Powder-processing support
Powder processing is also possible. It can be deployed as a material evoking a summery feel—for drink bases, sauces, and sweets ingredients.
Product specifications for dried watermelon
Item | Details |
|---|---|
Raw material growing region | Nagano Prefecture (partner farmers) |
Specification | Slices (including red flesh + rind portion) |
Storage method | Room temperature (store away from high heat and humidity) |
Best-before date | 6 months from the shipping date |
Minimum lot | From 10 bags / 100 g |
Powder | Possible (for smoothie materials and sweets ingredients) |
Manufacturing period | July–August |
Customization and OEM support
Custom cut size: supported from orders of 10 kg or more
OEM support: possible (proposals available according to the theme, such as summer-oriented products)
Large-lot manufacturing: possible (adjusted through prior consultation)
POWDER
We also offer a dried watermelon powder product
We can also manufacture a powder made by finely pulverizing dried watermelon. It can spread natural color and aroma as a base for summer-limited drinks, or as a material for shaved-ice syrup, smoothies, jelly, and summer sweets.
Commitments to variety, grower, and growing region
BRAND
Cultivar:Uses watermelon cultivated within Nagano Prefecture. Selecting varieties suited to the growing region’s climate, we source ones that combine sweetness and juiciness.
PRODUCER
Producer:In cooperation with partner farmers within Nagano Prefecture. Having the fully ripe fruit delivered to the processing base right after harvest, we carry out drying processing while it is still highly fresh.
REGION
Production area:Nagano Prefecture. It is a growing region where, in an environment where the temperature difference unique to high-altitude regions easily draws out sweetness, the watermelon’s flavor can be adjusted from the raw-material level.
CULTIVATION
Cultivation method:Watermelon grown by partner farmers’ open-field and greenhouse cultivation is harvested to match the seasonal peak. In the July–August height of the season, it is sent to the processing line all at once.
Dried watermelon finished by low-temperature, long-time drying
Watermelon has a very high moisture content, making it a prime example of a fruit that’s difficult to dry-process. At Agriture, with proprietary low-temperature, long-time drying technology, we give it a distinctive finish that draws out the watermelon’s inherent pale red color, green aroma, and a sweetness that retains juiciness. It is characterized by a light, crisp texture and the watermelon-specific aroma that spreads afterward.
💡 TIPS | Drying-processing trivia
Watermelon has a higher moisture ratio than other fruits, and is a material with a low production yield for dried products. For that reason, its market circulation volume is small, making it suited to product plans with more originality than other dried fruits. During storage, sealing it away from humidity keeps the crisp texture for a long time.
Use scenes for commercial dried watermelon
Summer gifts and season-limited products
It is a material that can simultaneously put forward visual impact and rarity in summer-limited ochugen, summer gifts, seasonal event products, and the like. Dried watermelon’s rarity connects to talkability, and it can be used as a differentiation material for seasonal gifts and novelties.
Granola and cereal
It can be used as an accent for granola and muesli. The red-and-green contrast stands out even through the bag, functioning as a differentiation material that catches the eye on the shelf. As a rare dried fruit, it also contributes to creating talkability for the product.
Herbal tea and fruit tea
It can be used as an ingredient for summer-oriented herbal blends, fruit teas, and infused water for cold brew. You can make use of both the watermelon’s rarity and aroma, designing a seasonal product that also looks refreshing.
Vegan and healthy sweets
As a material for vegan sweets, fruit bars, and low-carb snacks. Because the ingredient’s sweetness can be used even without added sugar, it also suits clean-label appeal.
OEM and premium products
As a rare material with little circulation, it becomes a centerpiece material for premium products and craft brands. It can also be deployed in local gifts that state the growing region on the package.
How to use commercial dried watermelon and related cases
Agriture’s dried watermelon is a raw material you can adopt for product plans where you want differentiation and for summer-limited products, as a rare material with little market circulation. Beyond making use of the slice shape as-is, it can also be used as a drink base through powder processing, or as a material kneaded into chocolate or cookies.
Product catalog showing the items we handle
Flexible support from small lots to large lots
- Sold in small lots from 100g
- Handling heirloom vegetables from across Japan
- Dried fruits and herbs also supported
Commercial dried watermelon OEM consultation FAQ
From how large a minimum lot can you accommodate?
Supportable from a minimum of 10 bags / 100 g units. You can consult with us starting from prototyping and test sales by craft makers, cafés, and the like.
Do you publish prices?
Because watermelon has a low yield and the price fluctuates by period, we do not publish a uniform price. If you tell us the use and desired quantity, we will provide a quote.
How long is the lead time?
The main manufacturing period is July–August. When there is stock, shipment is possible in as little as 1–2 weeks, but for mass-production support, please consult us by 3 months before the manufacturing period.
Can you issue a certificate of origin for the raw material?
Origin labeling stating that it is Nagano-grown, and partner-farmer information, can be shared as needed. You can also use it as an attachment to a specification document.
Can you provide pesticide/analysis reports?
Partner farmers’ cultivation histories and necessary analysis results can be shared on a case-by-case basis. We respond individually to projects that require submission of a specification document.
Are HACCP and export support possible?
We produce with a HACCP-compliant processing process, and can also support raw-material supply for product plans premised on export.
Please tell me how to proceed with an OEM consultation
Please let us know the use, quantity, and delivery date via the inquiry form. We propose everything from sample provision through specification adjustment, prototyping, and full production in one stop.
Yakuzen-style effects (in the case of fresh watermelon)
What we introduce here is the yakuzen way of thinking regarding fresh watermelon before drying processing. It does not guarantee the effects of the dried product itself; please use it as reference information for understanding the properties as a raw material.
Watermelon is a fruit representative of summer, said to have the action of removing excess heat from the body and moistening a parched throat. Beyond eating it chilled as is, it is also used as a refreshing material on hot days by processing it into juice or smoothies.
💡 TIPS | Yakuzen trivia
In the yakuzen way of thinking, for a state where heat is trapped in the body from summer heat, it is considered good to incorporate ingredients that have a heat-cooling property. Watermelon is a representative of that, and is also cherished as an ingredient that gives moisture to the body.
Even when dried, dried watermelon is easy to make use of in product design with its ingredient-derived story, and it is a raw material that goes well with yakuzen and seasonal appeal.
YAKUZEN
For those who want to know more about watermelon from a yakuzen perspective
For those who want to know in detail about watermelon’s workings seen from a yakuzen perspective and how to incorporate it by season, please see the Yasai Yakuzen feature page.
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