With Pepero Day (November 11) approaching, Lotte Wellfood is ramping up its global marketing efforts to spread the 'K-Day culture' worldwide. The company aims to elevate Pepero into a global mega brand by promoting the unique Korean tradition of gift-giving and expressing emotions.
According to industry reports, Pepero's overseas sales, which stood at 29 billion won in 2020, surged to 87 billion won last year, marking nearly a threefold increase. Total sales, including domestic figures, reached a record high of 243 billion won.
This year, the growth trend continues. In the first half of this year, total sales of Pepero, both domestically and internationally, amounted to approximately 91.5 billion won, a 23% increase compared to the same period in 2025. Of this, overseas sales reached 53 billion won, surpassing domestic sales of 38.5 billion won. Given that about half of Pepero's annual sales occur during the November Pepero Day season, industry experts predict that overseas sales will exceed 100 billion won for the first time this year.
The increase in overseas sales is attributed to Lotte Wellfood's global marketing strategy, which has been in place since 2020, coinciding with the K-pop and K-food craze. Pepero Day, which originated in the 1990s among students in the Yeongnam region, is now expanding internationally.
This year's global marketing campaign continues its partnership with K-pop group Stray Kids. Lotte Wellfood recently renewed its ambassador contract with Stray Kids and released a digital single titled 'November 11,' written and composed by member Han, across global music platforms. The campaign's advertisement, featuring the message 'Don't hesitate on Pepero Day!', surpassed 10 million views within six days of its release.
Promotional activities across various distribution channels are also ongoing to broaden consumer engagement. The company has introduced a total of 10 seasonal packages, including special designs featuring popular intellectual properties like Stray Kids and Sanrio characters, with some products including character stickers and bookmarks to target gift and collectible demand. The 'Pepero Double Rich Salty Vanilla,' which was limited in sales during the first half of the year, is also being re-released for the Pepero Day season.
Launched in 1983, Pepero is now exported to over 50 countries worldwide, including North America, Southeast Asia, and Europe. Lotte Wellfood aims to develop Pepero into a top 10 global mega brand with annual sales of 1 trillion won by 2035.
The company is also accelerating the establishment of a global local production system. Lotte Wellfood has invested approximately 33 billion won to set up a dedicated production line for Pepero at its factory in Haryana, India, which began local production in July last year. The company has developed and applied its own 'heat-resistant chocolate' technology to withstand high temperatures and humidity, providing locally tailored products and positioning itself as a global supply hub for the 1.4 billion Indian market and regions in the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
A Lotte Wellfood representative stated, 'We aim to widely share the core values of Pepero, which are warmth and a culture of sharing, with consumers around the world. We will continue to promote our unique Korean culture through global marketing to firmly establish Pepero as a representative brand symbolizing K-culture.'
* This article has been translated by AI.
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