Choco Pies bring Orion 4 trillion won in 42 years

Leading confectionery company Orion announced on Monday that its signature product, the Choco Pie, recorded global sales of over 4 trillion won ($3.5 billion) since its inception in 1974. The achievement is particularly special considering 2016 is Orion’s 60th anniversary.

Orion entered the global market in 1997 when it opened a Choco Pie factory in China. Today, Choco Pies are sold in over 60 countries, including the United States, Brazil and Iran.

Choco Pies are also made in Vietnam and Russia. To expand the Choco Pie craze, the company added a new flavor in March for the first time in 42 years, Choco Pie Banana.

Orion has revenues of 200 billion won annually from sales of confectionery goods, including Choco Pie in Korea and abroad. Other major brands include O! Karto potato chips, Goraebab and Yegam.

O! Karto potato chips were released in the Chinese market in 2006 and surpassed the 200 million won annual sales mark last year. Meanwhile, Goraebab, a snack in seafood shapes, had 214 billion won in global sales last year.

“I would like to thank our customers who have enjoyed our products for the last 60 years,” Lee Kyung-jae, President of Orion, said.

“We are going to work with the right philosophy and traditions to make our customers even more satisfied with our products.”

BY HAN JAE-YONG [ebusiness@joongang.co.kr]