Skull shaped pumpkins, squared water-melons, heart shaped apples and star shaped cucumbers, all these ingeniously shaped fruits and vegetables have long been favourites in countries such as Japan and China.

“Japanese growers were the first to pioneer fruit and vegetable production in special shapes. In recent years, this trend has also become more popular in China. Buddha shaped pears became a huge hit a couple of years ago, and this year, some fruit chain stores are advertising squared melons,” says Steven Ding, founder of Fruit Mould.

“Currently, I am serving clients in the US, the Middle East, the UK and Germany. Our biggest export market is the US. Most of our clients are hobby growers, but we have acquired some larger agriculture companies as our clients.”

“Our top export products are the heart-shaped water melons and the star cucumbers. How it works? When the fruit is small enough to fit in the mould, then the mould should be placed on top of the fruit. Then, after 10 to 15 days, the fruit will have filled the mould and be pressed into its shape. That is when the fruit is ready to be harvested. The grower should be a little creative. For example, to grow a squared watermelon, it is best to selec a watermelon that is just a little bit bigger fully grown than the size of the mould. As such the grower can grow a sweet, fully grown, squared melon.”