Pepero facts for kids
Pepero (Hangul: 빼빼로) is a yummy snack from South Korea. It's a thin cookie stick covered in delicious chocolate. Think of it like a chocolate-covered pretzel stick! The Lotte Wellfood company has been making Pepero since 1983. Pepero is mostly made from cocoa (which comes from cacao beans) and flour. This popular treat is sent to about 64 countries around the world. It's super popular in places like Singapore, Malaysia, India, and the Philippines. Pepero has even won many awards for how well it sells and for its cool designs.
Contents
Pepero Flavors
Pepero comes in many different flavors. Here are some of the ones you can find:
- Chocolate (this is the original flavor)
- Strawberry (mostly found in Korea)
- Almond (covered with chocolate and crunchy almond pieces)
- Choco-filled (the cookie stick itself is filled with chocolate)
- Plain cream cheese
- White cookie
- Peanut (mostly found in the US)
- Haenam sweet potatoes (a special flavor in Korea)
- Haenam Green Tea
- Crunchy
- Choco Cookie
- Crunky
- Crunky Granola
- Snowy Almond (covered with white chocolate and almond pieces)
- Pepero Skinny (a thinner version of the original chocolate Pepero)
How Pepero is Marketed
Lotte Confectionery, the company that makes Pepero, has a big marketing plan every year on November 11. This day is even called Pepero Day! The company always tries new ways to promote Pepero. For example, during the time of COVID-19, when it was harder to sell things in stores, they started selling Pepero through live online broadcasts and delivery services. Lotte also made a special ice cream called 'Pepero-bar' for a limited time. This ice cream looked like a Pepero stick, covered in almonds, and had fun "Pepero friends" characters on the wrapper to attract buyers.
Pepero Sales Success
A huge amount of Pepero is sold around Pepero Day, which is November 11. About 60% of all Pepero sales for the year happen during this time! By 2016, Pepero sales had reached a record high of over 1.1 trillion Korean won. That's a lot of money! Pepero has become very successful in the market, largely because of how popular Pepero Day is. On Pepero Day, Pepero sells about 84 times more than on a normal day. Because sales keep growing, Lotte Confectionery uses some of its profits to help communities. Countries like Singapore, China, Russia, and the United States are big buyers of Pepero, which helps with its global sales.
Pepero Awards
Pepero has won several awards for its popularity and design:
- Watsons Best Selling Snack Award - 2012
- Watsons Best Selling Biscuit Award - 2014
- Watsons Best Selling Korean Biscuit Award - 2015
- Germany's Red Dot Design Award - 2019
- Germany's iF Design Award - 2020
Pepero Day Traditions
Pepero Day is celebrated every year on November 11. This date is also known as Farmer's Day in Korea. Pepero Day started with a story about middle school girls in the Yeongnam area of South Korea. They would give each other Pepero and say, "Let's be tall and skinny!" as a friendly wish. Today, people often make Pepero or buy it to give to friends, family, or partners as a way to show thanks and affection. When Pepero Day gets close, the companies that make Pepero see a huge increase in their sales.
Social Contributions
With its great sales and profits, Lotte, the company behind Pepero, also helps out in the community. They donate Pepero to people in need and to different social groups. Lotte also helps to build local children's centers, showing their commitment to giving back.
See also
In Spanish: Pepero para niños
