Kkobuk chips, a popular South Korean snack, are crunching their way through the U.S. snack scene, from Google and Netflix snack bars to the shelves of global retail stores.
Orion, one of the largest confectionery companies in S. Korea, announced on Apr. 24 that its product, ‘Kkobuk chips’, has gained popularity among younger consumers in the United States. The chips have recently been introduced into distribution channels that are showing the highest growth, such as ‘Five Below’ and ‘Miniso’ stores.
Demand for Kkobuk chips among younger consumers has been steadily increasing, and this year, Orion has also started to supply Kkobuk chips to snack bars at global company headquarters such as Google and Netflix.
KKobuk chips, also known as turtle chips, are a type of snack made from corn and named after their shape that resembles the shell of a tortoise. These chips were released by Orion in Mar. 2017.
According to Orion, KKobuk chips have been available for sale in all 1,598 Five Below stores across the U.S. since Mar. 2023. They can also be found in all 52 Miniso stores, a global discount store for household goods.
Kkobuk chips, the first S. Korean food product to enter Five Below, has significantly expanded its sales outlets, following North American Costco and Sam’s Club, and are expected to generate 20 billion won ($14.5 million) in sales in North America this year alone.
Last year, sales of Kkobuk chips exported from S. Korea to the U.S. reached $8.7 million. Sales have grown nearly 200 times from the $43,000 level in 2017 when it was first exported to Korean markets in the U.S.
Kkobuk chips made their entry into warehouse discount stores such as Costco in 2019 and Sam’s Club in 2021. At first, they were available in around 100 stores in the western region but starting from 2021, they expanded to about 460 stores throughout the U.S.
Orion is contemplating building a local production factory in the U.S. if the annual sales of Kkobuk chips exceed $29.2 million.
An official from Orion stated, “Kkobuk chips are gaining popularity as a snack in global company snack bars and are truly establishing themselves as a leading representative of K-snacks. With our unique product capabilities tailored to local tastes, we aim to create a ‘Kkobuk chip Snack Road’ that spans across Asia, Europe, and North and South America.”
