Wellbiotech "Subsidiary's Kakao Friends Collaboration Products Show Strong Sales"

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunseok Yoo] Wellbiotech announced on the 4th that its subsidiary Hwalhwang, which is engaged in food and beverage manufacturing and distribution, is expected to see growth in first-quarter performance due to strong sales of Kakao Friends character products.

A company official from Hwalhwang stated, “Since signing a distribution partner contract with Kakao IX, which operates the Kakao Friends character business, in August last year, we have been distributing Kakao Friends PB products to major convenience stores, large supermarkets, and highway rest areas nationwide. Sales have continuously increased since we first supplied Kakao Friends PB products in September last year, reaching a cumulative sales amount of 1.7 billion KRW as of last month.”

The Kakao Friends PB products distributed by Kakao IX through Hwalhwang include a total of five types of beverages and food products available on the market.

In particular, products such as ‘Apeach Bonggol Ramen,’ ‘Ryan Spicy Ramen,’ ‘Ryan’s Spicy Tteokbokki,’ and ‘Apeach’s Cheese Tteokbokki,’ which were launched last month through GS25, have gained high popularity among consumers in their teens and twenties, significantly increasing sales. A new product, ‘Muzi Character’s Jjajang Tteokbokki,’ utilizing the Kakao Friends character, is also scheduled to be released in February next month.

Hwalhwang plans to expand distribution by actively collaborating with Kakao IX to plan various product lines such as beverages, snacks, and side dishes featuring Kakao Friends characters. Since Kakao Friends characters are also popular overseas, they plan to expand sales channels overseas using Kakao Friends PB products.

A Hwalhwang official said, “Due to the strong sales of Kakao Friends collaboration products, first-quarter sales are expected to increase by about 50% compared to the same period last year,” adding, “GS25 and Kakao IX are actively promoting Kakao Friends PB products, so sales are expected to increase further in the future.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.