Japanese premium dessert corporations Ohayo Dairy said it will develop Korea as a key market for its overseas business. Through a collaboration with Korea Seven-Eleven, it is introducing "Ohayo Brûlée Milk" in Korea. It plans to expand its push into the Korean market by sequentially launching a variety of premium desserts.
Ogawa Keisuke, a director at Ohayo Dairy, said at a media event for the Korea launch of "Ohayo Brûlée Milk" held at Community House Masil in Myeong-dong, Jung District, Seoul, on the 21st, "Korea is the most important overseas strategic market," adding, "We have drawn up plans to expand the share of our overseas business over the next 10 years, with Korea at the center."
Seven-Eleven will exclusively launch in Korea on the 22nd the Japanese premium ice cream "Ohayo Brûlée Milk." The product is an ice cream version of the French dessert "crème brûlée." Using a direct-fire caramelizing method, it features a crunchy caramel layer enjoyed together with milk ice cream. Since its launch in Japan in 2017, it has been highly popular.
Director Ogawa said, "Starting from a challenge to develop 'baked ice cream' 30 years ago, we went through more than seven years of trial and error to recreate the texture of crème brûlée," adding, "The biggest differentiator is the combination of a caramel layer realized with our proprietary patented technology and rich milk ice cream made with carefully selected dairy."
He also explained why Korea was chosen as a launch country. He said, "Among the products most sought after by Korean tourists visiting Japan at convenience stores is Brûlée Milk," adding, "Given that Korea is a market with highly developed demand for premium desserts and a strong café culture, we judged the product to have sufficient competitiveness."
He went on to say that the Korean market also occupies an important position in Ohayo Dairy's long-term strategy. He said, "In addition to Brûlée Milk and Jersey Milk Pudding, we plan to introduce a variety of premium desserts in Korea going forward," adding, "Beyond simply selling products, our goal over the next 10 years is to establish Ohayo as a premium dessert brand."
Seven-Eleven also plans to further strengthen its dessert competitiveness with globally exclusive products. Cho Su-gyeong, head of merchandise at Seven-Eleven, said, "Jersey Milk Pudding, launched in 2024, has established itself as a flagship product that still ranks No. 1 in dessert category sales," adding, "Spurred by that product, last year dessert category sales grew by about 30%, and this year they are showing growth of around 60%."
She added, "Desserts are not just snacks but a core category that gives small pleasures to customers who visit convenience stores," explaining, "In particular, the effect of attracting women in their 20s and 30s is strong, playing an important role in expanding the convenience store customer base."
The domestic price of Brûlée Milk is 6,500 won, higher than in Japan. On this, Deputy Minister Cho said, "Given the nature of frozen products, cold chain maintenance expense, import logistics costs, and various taxes inevitably get reflected," but added, "Through supply price adjustments and logistics efficiencies, we lowered it as much as possible to about 1.6 to 1.7 times the local price."
Meanwhile, following Taiwan and Hong Kong, Korea is the third overseas launch country for Ohayo Brûlée Milk. Ohayo Dairy plans to use its foothold in the Korean market to expand its premium dessert business not only in Asia but globally.