This is the first installment in a series that spotlights Korean products enjoyed by people abroad. ― Ed. 


Choco-Pie, the flagship brand of local snack maker Orion Corp., is often called a “little giant” here.

It is a small round chocolate pie with a marshmallow center, which is 7 centimeters in diameter and weighs about 35 grams.

Since 1974, the Choco-Pie has been enjoyed by every age group of Koreans.

And now its unique taste ― the usually elastic marshmallow is sandwiched between two layers of cookie and becomes soft after about three days ― is appealing to people in 60 countries, making it one of the best-selling Korean food products abroad.

According to the company, Choco-Pie logged 200 billion won ($189 million) in its overseas sales last year, with soaring Chinese sales making up almost half of the total.


Chinese success


Based on its long-running popularity here, Choco-Pie ambitiously entered the Chinese market 15 years ago.

Before long, however, a serious problem presented itself ― the chocolate pie that contains no preservatives got spoiled in the scorching weather in southern China.

In 1995, the first year of its Chinese sales, the company had to dispose of about 100,000 Choco-Pies in Shanghai alone.

“It was the most challenging moment,” said Jung Sung-il, an Orion official. “But it was also a period that we could pave the way to go global.”

Its research team strived to find the “golden ratio” of ingredients for Choco-Pie to withstand China’s intense heat. And the know-how acquired during the period later helped the company build production lines in Vietnam and the Middle East, Jung said.

In Siberia, on the other hand, the chocolate coating never melted due to the chilly weather, affecting the soft texture. And the team studied again.

“Over the years, Choco-Pie has become a snack that resists 40 degrees Celsius above and below zero. The ratio of mixture (different across regions) is one of the company’s top secrets,” he said.

Building ‘Pie Road’


Based on the soaring popularity in China, Orion is stepping up efforts to strengthen its dominance around the world, which the company describes as “establishing the Pie Road.”

The taste and diversified distribution channels have been effective in opening the global markets. But the most decisive factor, the company believes, was its unique marketing strategy using Korean “jeong,” love or compassion in English.

Orion has used the brand concept “jeong” since 1989, showing commercial campaigns in which Choco-Pie is shared with family members or neighbors. And it applied the strategy to other regions.

The company first targeted China, launching Choco-Pie with the brand name “Horyeowoo,” a Chinese word for “good friend.” In 2008, the company started putting the Chinese character “in,” which stands for benevolence, on its local packaging.

In Vietnam, the company uses “tinh,” the word for jeong. Vietnam is another dynamic market which saw a 30 percent growth in Choco-Pie sales last year, the company said.

Iran also has a similar word “mohabet.” “In a country where most pie products are packaged piece by piece, a box of six, 12 or 20 pieces of Choco-Pie may offer an opportunity to feel mohabet,” Jung explained. According to the company, a Carrefour outlet there sells up to 3,000 boxes of Choco-Pie per month.

“Choco-Pie is a medium for emotional communication. Like the Silk Road that brought a dramatic change in international trading and culture, we aim to establish ‘Pie Road’ through which people around the world share jeong,” the official said.

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)