Vegetables and Grains Dive In... Fierce Competition in Topping Yogurt

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] Yogurt, once considered a dessert, is gaining attention as a convenient meal replacement, sparking fierce competition among food companies to develop new products in the topping yogurt market.

According to market research firm Nielsen Korea on the 3rd, unlike the spoonable yogurt market, which grows modestly by 3-4% annually, the topping yogurt market is rapidly expanding. The topping yogurt market size, which was 32.8 billion KRW in 2017, surpassed 100 billion KRW last year, nearly tripling in just three years.

Yogurt has evolved from fruit yogurts used as desserts with strawberries and peaches to plain yogurts emphasizing health functionality. Recently, yogurts with toppings that can replace a meal have become the trend. This is because more consumers prioritize health and want to consume proper nutrition. Since COVID-19, probiotics have been recognized for boosting immunity and gut health, drawing attention as health supplements.

The undisputed leader in the topping yogurt market is Seoul Milk’s ‘Biyote.’ Launched in 2004, Biyote has exceeded cumulative sales of 570 million units as of March this year. At launch, Biyote attracted consumer attention with its innovative container. The container is divided into two compartments: one side holds plain yogurt made from Seoul Milk’s raw milk, and the other side contains toppings, allowing consumers to bend the container and mix them before eating. Earlier this year, Seoul Milk released two new products with Choco Pop and Choco Crispy toppings, currently selling a total of seven varieties.

The latecomer Dongwon F&B is also mounting a strong counterattack. Dongwon F&B operates ‘Denmark Yogermil’ as an integrated brand for convenient meal replacement (CMR) yogurts, aiming to achieve 40 billion KRW in sales this year and grow the brand to 50 billion KRW by next year. The recently launched four types of ‘Denmark Yogermil Grains’ contain whole grains such as oats, barley, and black rice in the yogurt, each combined with ingredients like pumpkin and purple sweet potato. ‘Denmark Yogermil Salad’ is a product that contains a salad made from various fruits and vegetables in yogurt. Each cup contains dietary fiber equivalent to one apple and 15 billion probiotic bacteria.

Pulmuone Danone’s flip-type topping yogurt ‘Yogertok,’ released in September last year, has achieved cumulative sales of 10 million units. It is a flip-type yogurt product that combines toppings and plain yogurt. Each cup contains 23g of toppings and includes various grains, cereals, and chocolates.

Binggrae’s ‘Yoplait Topping,’ launched in 2018, surpassed cumulative sales of 40 million units last year, two years after its release. It is characterized by its crispy topping texture. It exceeded 40 million cumulative sales within two years of launch.

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