Convenience Stores Already Preparing for Summer... CU DellaFe Iced Drink Launch

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] CU is preparing for the early spring and summer season by sequentially launching the ‘2022 Delafe’ starting from the 16th of this month, the fastest in the industry.

According to CU on the 13th, this year’s Delafe series will release about 40 products in collaboration with the character ‘Mr. Do Nothing’.

Delafe is CU’s own pouch beverage brand, gaining great popularity as a convenient drink poured over cup ice, with a diverse product lineup and reasonable prices in the 1,000 KRW range, establishing itself as a representative convenience store product in summer.

Mr. Do Nothing is a character inspired by the tired modern people who ‘don’t want to do anything,’ and is popular among the younger generation for its blank expression and round, cute appearance.

Through this collaboration with Mr. Do Nothing, CU conveys a message of comfort and encouragement that it’s okay to do nothing.

Changes were made not only in design but also in the product lineup.

In addition to Delafe’s existing steady sellers such as Black Americano, Sweet Americano, and Hazelnut Coffee, CU is launching for the first time this year three premium coffees blended with the world’s top three coffee beans (Hawaiian Kona, Jamaica Blue Mountain, Yemen Mocha Matari).

These products contain coffee extracts brewed from beans with distinctive floral and fruity notes of Hawaiian Kona, the mild bitterness and strong nutty flavor of Jamaica Blue Mountain, and the rich aroma reminiscent of dark chocolate from Yemen Mocha Matari, each packaged using a special method. Although premium beans are used, the price is 1,500 KRW, and even with the purchase of cup ice, it can be bought for under 2,000 KRW.

In the non-coffee category, best-selling products such as Peach Ade, Blue Lemon Ade, and Green Grape Ade have been reformulated to reduce calories to about 1/20 of the previous level.

This renewal uses alternative sweeteners like erythritol and allulose instead of sugar to maintain the sweet taste while offering a low-calorie drink under 30 calories, catering to consumers who carefully monitor calories for health and weight management.

Additionally, unique products transformed into pouch beverages, including popular drinks from coffee shops like Caramel Macchiato and Tart Cherry Ade, as well as existing convenience store favorites like Screw Bar and Watermelon Bar, are lined up for release.

Kim Taekwang, MD of the Beverage Food Team at BGF Retail, said, “With recent price increases at coffee shops, we expect more customers to seek cost-effective Delafe products this spring and summer season. CU plans to continuously introduce products through Delafe that satisfy not only price and taste but also recharge customers’ emotions this year.”

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