[Post-Corona, Convenience Foods Rise] Challenge for Six-Pack with High-Protein Yogurt

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[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] Binggrae Yoplait, which has been consistently loved for over 40 years, is a representative product of stirred fermented milk (spoonable yogurt). Yoplait sold more than 140 billion KRW last year.

Yoplait was launched in 1983 as the first spoonable yogurt in Korea when the fermented milk industry was still in its early stages. It is credited with advancing the domestic fermented milk industry to a world-class level.

Yoplait, released through a technical partnership with France's Sodimasa, was the product that officially introduced authentic stirred fermented milk to the domestic market, which at the time was dominated by liquid yogurts consisting mainly of water, sugar, and small amounts of lactic acid bacteria.

In the 2000s, Yoplait grew into the leading brand in the spoonable yogurt market. Yoplait, which features a balanced mix of fruits such as strawberry, peach, and pineapple in yogurt, has become the most common synonym for spoonable yogurt in Korea. However, it has not remained static and continuously strives to improve and develop products to enhance quality and image according to consumer preferences.

As a result of these efforts, the number of consumers enjoying Yoplait as a dessert, snack, or convenient meal replacement is increasing. Yoplait Topping, launched in 2018, sold 20 million units in the past year alone. Two varieties, 'Yoplait Topping Dark Choco' and 'Yoplait Topping Oat & Cinnamon,' focused on preserving the original taste of the toppings.

Yoplait Topping preserves the crispy texture of the toppings by crushing the raw ingredients without additional processing and packaging them separately from the yogurt. To prevent the toppings from becoming soggy upon contact with the yogurt, they are mixed just before eating. 'Yoplait Topping Dark Choco' combines dark chocolate, crispy brownie cookies, and salted caramel. 'Yoplait Topping Oat & Apple Cinnamon' includes oats and apple syrup to enhance freshness.

There is also the recently launched 'Yoplait Protein.' 'Yoplait Protein' is Korea's first high-protein yogurt containing more than 8% protein, available in two drinkable types (plain, strawberry banana) and two spoonable types (plain, blueberry). The drinkable Yoplait Protein Plain contains 18g of protein per bottle, fulfilling 45% of the average daily requirement (40g) for women in their 30s as suggested by the Korean Nutrition Society.

The spoonable Yoplait Protein also contains 10g of protein per cup, about 2.6 times higher than regular spoonable yogurt. Protein foods are known to help build muscle and increase basal metabolic rate, gaining global attention. Yoplait Protein is the first product in the domestic drinking yogurt market to contain more than 8% high protein.

A Binggrae official said, "Yoplait is a market-leading product with a strong brand that has become a generic term for spoonable yogurt," adding, "We will continue our marketing activities and new product development efforts based on this strong brand power."

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