Lotte is adding a new product to its long-running Koume candy line. Koume Gum goes on sale nationwide on Tuesday, June 2, 2026.
The new product pairs a sweet plum-flavored soft gum base with sour plum gummy pieces inside, combining two distinct flavors and textures in one bite. It uses Nanko plum juice from Wakayama Prefecture (3% juice content, fresh equivalent) and comes in a standing pouch format. Net weight is 26g, with an open price and an estimated retail price of around 183 yen (tax included).
The package features Koume-chan — the character long associated with the brand — blowing a balloon by herself while thinking of her love interest Shin. June 6 is "Ume Day" in Japan, and the launch is timed to coincide with the plum season.
About the Koume Brand
The Koume brand dates back to 1974. It made a mark in the confectionery market by introducing an unexpectedly sharp sour plum flavor at a time when candies leaned heavily sweet. The original candy was sized at around 15mm in diameter — compact enough to sit elegantly in the mouth without puffing out the cheek.
A character named Koume-chan was created alongside the product, depicted in TV commercials as a young woman in a kimono with a quiet, one-sided love story. The character moved onto packaging in 1981 and has remained a fixture of the brand ever since. While her illustrations have been updated over the years, her composed and devoted expression has stayed consistent throughout.
Over the decades, the Koume lineup has expanded beyond candy to include a range of products, all built around the same sweet-and-sour plum flavor and the theme of a bittersweet first love.
