A couple of decades ago, Western cookies and snacks, for Koreans, were considered a very special item, only given on special occasions and only enjoyed by a handful of people. The snacks were rare and precious. Today, however, Korean companies are producing a wide array of delectable snacks which often leave Westerners speechless as they fall in love with them. Regardless of nationality or ethnicity, a huge number of people from across the world are showing a keen interest in snacks, drinks and candies made in Korea.

In Russia, where the Winter Olympics recently wrapped up, Korean-made LetsBe, a brand of canned coffee, is taking the country by storm. The 190 milliliter cans are offered in nine different flavors, including latte, espresso, Americano and chocolate-latte.

Canned coffee stored in heated vending units are perfect for freezing Russian temperatures. This strategy by Lotte Chilsung, the coffee's maker, has LetsBe receiving rave reviews from local consumers. The company raked in overall revenues of over USD 7.1 million last year, solely from its LetsBe brand.

140324_korean_snack2.jpg

LetsBe, a brand of canned coffee, is on sale in Russia. (photo courtesy of Lotte Chilsung)


Another canned drink is also popular in Russia these days, even more popular than LetsBe. It is Lotte Chilsung's No. 1 brand, Milkis. Milkis earned its company USD 14 million last year in the Russian market. Over the past 13 years, starting in 2000 when exports to Russia first began, Milkis has sold as many as 350 million cans and has earned some USD 76.7 million.

140324_korean_snack1.jpg

Milkis is offered in eleven different fruit flavors in the Russian market. (photo courtesy of Lotte Chilsung)


In regard to the Russian consumer's love for Milkis, Lotte Chilsung explained that Russians might perceive the mix of milk and carbonation as being a fresh combination that they cannot find in their local market. Moreover, the company's new marketing strategy, adopted a year after exports began, seems to have played a role, too. The addition of fruit flavors now gives the consumer various options: strawberry, melon, apple and pineapple. It offers a new taste experience to Russian consumers who now have the rare chance to experience a range of tropical fruit flavors in their carbonated milk. Local buyers are showing an enthusiastic response to the fruit-flavored carbonated drinks. In some cafes and bars, twentysomethings are generating a new drinking culture by mixing Milkis and vodka.

Drinks in Russia are not the only Korean snack food making waves overseas. Instant noodle brand Shin Ramyun, whose spicy taste can make a grownup cry, according to its own advertisements, can now be found in some 80 countries across the world. It has been gaining attention from countries as close as Japan and China and from as far afield as Switzerland. Shin Ramyun can be found at the top of the Jungfrau in the Swiss Alps, as well as in some South American and Islamic countries. The brand of spicy instant noodles has made an average yearly revenue, both at home and abroad, of some USD 650 million for Nongshim, its maker.

Shin_Noodles_003.jpg

Shin Ramyun has spread its spicy taste across the world. (photo courtesy of Nongshim)



140324_korean_snack3.jpg

Shin Ramyun is on sale in a grocery store in Shanghai. (photo courtesy of Nongshim)


140324_korean_snack4.jpg

Shin Ramyun is on sale at 3,466 meters at the Jungfraujoch in Switzerland. (photo courtesy of Nongshim)


Shin Ramyun fills a "comfort spot" in the hearts of many, and it is an important item that many people bring with them when they pack their bags for overseas. They tend to believe that the spicy taste gives them energy and enlivens their spirit, lifting their exhausted body and mind. In recent years, such ideas and feelings are winning support from non-Koreans, too. At the mountain top of Jungfrau, deep in the Swiss Alps, cups of instant Shin Ramyun are being sold, sought after by many mountain climbers, ranging from backpackers in their 20s to families and couples.

A continent away, people in Kenya have Shin Ramyun delivered to their home, using a home shopping channel. Seven airlines, including American Airlines and Air France, offer the noodles in their in-flight menu. The spicy brand of instant noodles reaches out to Islamic countries, as well. Many people across the region adhere to Halal rules, and so Nongshim has made its noodles available in the market by obtaining eight Halal food certifications. Shin Ramyun has become the first Korean snack product exported to Pakistan, Jordan and Qatar.

Amongst the many snacks and candies introduced in overseas markets, perhaps the most famous is Orion's Choco Pie. Many people associate the chocolate marshmallow pastry with one specific Korean word, jeong, which represents warmth and generosity. Orion has been using that word in its long-continued, never-changed advertising campaign. In overseas markets, the company tries to deliver the same message and the same concept with slightly different catch lines, fine tuned for each market. In China, jeong was transformed into haoriyeowu, meaning "good friendship." The chocolate-based snack is very popular amongst Chinese consumers, who often exchange it on special occasions and when they want to express gratitude.

140324_korean_snack5.jpg

The Choco Pie is sold in around 60 countries, including Korea (top, left), China (top, middle), Vietnam (top, right), Russia (bottom, left) and the U.S. (bottom, right). (photo courtesy of Orion)


A Choco Pie is a small, moist chocolate cake, with a layer of marshmallow in the middle. It's about 7 centimeters around, 2.3 centimeters thick and weighs 35 grams. More than 2 billion of these small cakes are sold every year. That's enough Choco Pies to go around the circumference of the earth three times.

The soft chocolate cake contains a high level of moisture. The more moisture a food contains, the more likely it is for microorganisms to become active and cause the snack to go bad. Orion conducted many years of research and has now made it possible to maintain the freshness and the exact same taste of a Choco Pie, wherever it is consumed in the world.

140324_korean_snack7.jpg

Melona is one of the most popular popsicles in Brazil. (photo courtesy of Binggrae)

Moving on from chocolate snacks, in Brazil, a brand of popsicle has been gaining a lot of attention. Melona is a honeydew melon-flavored ice pop. Introduced in Brazil in 2002, Melona has now become one of the favorite treats amongst local youngsters. It is no longer surprising to run into a Melona retailer on the streets of Rio or Sao Paulo, and people lining up in front of the stores has become a familiar sight.

Korean-made cookies, snacks, ice creams and drinks are also available in closed North Korea. Choco Pies are already being offered to laborers working in the Kaeseong Industrial Complex (Gaesong Industrial Complex). There is a rumor that the North Korean workers do not eat them. Most of them keep their snacks to sell in the market, to supplement the family income. Markets in North Korea are said to have a wide array of Korean items available for sale, such as noodles, juices and Coca-Cola tagged with Korean labeling. Many North Korean defectors say that a cup of instant noodles is one of their favorite snacks.

Cookies, ice creams and chocolates were considered for a long time to be the preserve of Westerners. Now, however, they are being produced at home, and they are tasty enough to attract Western consumers, whatever their nationality or ethnicity. If the food is great, they will come. This is the power of food.

By Lee Seung-ah
Korea.net Staff Writer
slee27@korea.kr



[Source: korea.net]