Some 10 million banana-flavored Choco Pie sold in 3 weeks

Orion announced on Thursday that some 10 million “banana-flavored Choco Pie (photo)”, a sister product of Choco Pie, sold in three weeks since its market launch. The product’s accumulated sales have grown to some 3 billion Korean won (approx. 2.6 million U.S. dollars).

“Upon hitting the shelf in the market, the banana-flavored Choco Pie was in short supply. We are planning to add production lines within April to increase its supply,” said sources from the confectioner. For the past two weeks, Orion has run its production lines for 24 hours to meet the demand. Thanks to its popularity, the sales of original Choco Pie have increased by 18 percent compared to the last month, the company said.

Since the original Choco Pie was first introduced in the market in 1974, the banana-flavored Choco Pie has been marketed to celebrate Orion’s 60th anniversary. The company is said to have gained the inspiration of a new flavor from the younger generation in their 20s and 30s who enjoy dessert made of chocolate and banana.

More than 2.1 billion Choco Pie was sold in 60 different countries last year along with its overseas sales of 301 billion won (approx. 264 million dollars).

“We have to satisfy the domestic demand first but will consider the possibility,” Orion responded when asked about the possibility of exporting its new flavored pie.

최혜령기자 herstory@donga.com