Binggrae Melona becomes hot seller overseas

Binggrae, the nation’s largest snack maker, said Wednesday that it posted record sales of 77.5 billion won ($57.9 million) in overseas markets in the first half of this year.

The figure is a 27 percent jump from a year ago and has more than doubled over the past five years.

Binggrae attributed the upbeat earnings to its ice cream brands, especially its bestselling fruit-flavored ice cream Melona.

Of the total earnings, 60.1 percent, or 46.6 billion won, came from ice cream sales.

Melona alone recorded 29 billion won in global sales, outpacing the brand’s 22 billion won in sales at home.

Binggrae put importance on its localization strategy behind Melona’s global success.

While the melon flavor is the bestseller at home, the company diversified flavors overseas, including strawberry, mango, coconut, taro and pistachio.

Aiming to overcome cultural barriers, it also put out halal-certified snacks and vegan ice cream.

Riding the trend of the K-culture craze around the world, Binggrae stressed it had expanded its presence to 30 countries as of the first half of this year, around a 50 percent increase from the previous year.

“While the company continues to yield fruitful results from exports, we are looking forward to the opportunities available in the unexplored areas in the global market,” a Binggrae official said.