Orion is taking its chocolate biscuit Bichobi to Costco stores in Japan and the US, betting on its growing popularity among foreign tourists.
The company said Thursday that Bichobi will launch at 37 Costco stores across Japan in October, followed by US locations early next year. Interest overseas has grown as travelers who first encountered the snack in Korea seek it out back home, Orion said.
Bichobi has emerged on social media as a popular Korean souvenir, frequently recommended by international visitors as a snack to try in Korea or bring home as a gift.
Orion compared its growing appeal with that of Tokyo Banana, a confectionery closely associated with travel to Japan. Special packages such as the “Korea Edition” and “National Museum of Korea Edition” feature Korean-inspired designs intended to reinforce Bichobi’s identity as a travel souvenir.
Tourist destinations dominated the product’s best-performing sales locations from January through August. Its 10 highest-grossing outlets included Seoul Station, Busan’s Jagalchi Market, Seokchon Lake in eastern Seoul, Gimpo and Incheon airports, and Jeju.
Sales at those locations more than doubled on average from a year earlier. Overall Bichobi sales increased 53 percent over the same eight-month period.
To meet rising demand, Orion added a production line at its Iksan plant in April, nearly doubling capacity. The expansion has stabilized domestic supply while securing additional volume for overseas markets.
Following the Japan and US launches, Orion plans to extend Bichobi’s reach to more countries and retail channels.
“We plan to apply the strategy that helped Kkobuk Chips and Bungo grow into global brands after proving themselves in Korea and entering major overseas retailers,” an Orion official said. “Building on Orion’s product competitiveness, we aim to develop Bichobi into a global K-snack.”
yejinlim@heraldcorp.com
