Who Will Be the Next Meoktaekang... The 'MatGrade' Competition Heats Up

Haitai Confectionery Collaborates with 'Gat-it' to Launch New Baked Potato Product
Partnership Extends Beyond Franchises to SNS Popular Restaurants
Snack Market Expands Amid High Inflation...Competition to Captivate MZ Generation

The snack industry is fiercely competing in the 'taste grade (taste + upgrade)' race. Beyond seeking unique ingredients to add the latest trendy flavors to steady-selling products, companies are also partnering with popular restaurants famous on SNS. This strategy aims to capture the taste buds of the trend-leading 2030 MZ generation amid a growing snack market that offers affordable yet highly satisfying options in the face of high inflation.

According to the distribution industry on the 11th, Haitai Confectionery (Haitai Confectionery Foods) recently collaborated with the SNS-famous taco restaurant 'Godit' to launch 'Baked Potato Chipotle Taco Flavor.' This product, the first potato stick snack in Korea, is a steady seller from Haitai Confectionery since its release in 1997. It is characterized by a crisp crunch and a savory flavor from being baked.

The newly released Chipotle Taco flavor tastes as if chipotle sauce has been added to Godit's best-selling pork taco, which is hot on SNS. A Haitai Confectionery official explained, "There have been collaborations with franchises before, but this is the first collaboration with an SNS-famous restaurant. Haitai created the taco flavor and applied it to baked snacks, making the product in a way that Godit reviewed."

The taste grade attempts in the snack industry are not new. A representative example is Nongshim's 'Meoktaekang,' which sold over 11 million packs within six months of its release last year. It is a product that adds dried pollack, mayonnaise, and Cheongyang chili pepper flavors to the steady seller Shrimp Crackers, gaining explosive popularity on SNS and leading to many imitation products.

As the taste grade competition intensifies among companies, the scope of collaboration is expanding not only to different ingredients but also to franchises and individual restaurants. Nongshim previously released Potato Chips with Dongdaemun Yopgi Tteokbokki and Jackson Pizza flavors. Although not a snack, Lotte Wellfood collaborated with Taegukdang, a bakery opened in 1946, to present the 'Mon Cher X Taegukdang Apple Jam Roll Cake.' Taegukdang is also a representative SNS bread pilgrimage (visiting famous bakeries) spot.

The taste grade competition focuses on capturing the MZ generation, who lead trends. They want not only taste but also new and unique experiences through snacks. An industry official said, "Due to rising dining-out costs from inflation, consumers are looking for cheaper food, and with the increase in OTT content viewing, snack consumption to enjoy together is also rising. Since the MZ generation leads trends in the growing market, companies will try to capture their attention through various practical approaches."

Meanwhile, according to the global market research firm Statista, the global snack market size was $507.5 billion (about 670.66 trillion KRW) in 2022, a 7.5% increase from the previous year. It is estimated to have reached $538.3 billion last year and is expected to continue growing to $578.1 billion in 2024.

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