Lotte Mart, Lotte Super to sell Gimcheon-certified shine muscat grapes

Lotte Mart and Lotte Super said they will begin selling shine muscat grapes bearing official quality certification from Gimcheon city starting Thursday, with the products having met detailed standards covering everything from sweetness to bunch size.

Gimcheon city introduced the certification program at the suggestion of Lotte Mart and Lotte Super, which identified the need for clear quality benchmarks that would give consumers confidence when purchasing the grapes.

To qualify for certification, growers must meet specific criteria from the production stage onward. Only grapes cultivated for at least 120 days after the first pollination — with no early harvesting — are eligible. Detailed quality standards also apply to the sugar content measured at the bottom of each bunch and to the size of individual grapes. Gimcheon city verifies compliance through document reviews and on-site farm inspections that assess both growing conditions and quality requirements. Official certification is granted only to products that satisfy all criteria.

Dedicated packaging will also be introduced so consumers can easily identify certified products. A separate box bearing the Gimcheon city quality certification mark will allow shoppers to confirm a product's certified status at a glance.

Meanwhile, Lotte Mart is running a discount promotion on the Gimcheon-certified shine muscat grapes through Sunday. The products are supplied by Saegimcheon Agricultural Cooperative, which holds the quality certification, and will be available at 106 Lotte Mart locations nationwide. On Thursday, the first day of the promotion, a limited run of 10,000 boxes will go on sale at a special price of 7,990 won.