Everyone likes ice cream, but if you’re looking for the ultimate ice cream, try some Korean ice cream! Korean ice cream is known for its distinctive flavors and amusing presentation—think popsicle sticks—in each serving.
One of the most famous Korean ice creams, MELONA, is available at Korean grocery shops all around the globe, and we’ll be checking it out today.
The square-shaped, sweet melon-flavored ice cream known as Melona became the most profitable ice cream product in Korea’s history and the most exported Korean ice cream product overall! Just from just one product, how much did they profit?
In the span of a single year, they raised fifty billion won. How did Melona become so famous for their sweet treat? Let’s examine their history to find out. When I was in Korea in 1991, melon was a very uncommon fruit, and most people had no clue what it was.
Because imported fruit was so uncommon back then, this particular fruit was even more unusual. The moment was right for Melona to be sent to the peninsula.
It was the ideal marketing move to let the general population sample the fruit, which was widely believed to be a delicacy of the wealthy. During this time, most ice cream treats were solid, but Melona was an exception; it was exceptionally soft.
Many other firms began releasing Melonia and Fresh Melon, which were quite similar to the original Melona, after its 1992 debut due to the product’s enormous popularity. However, none of these products were able to match the original Melona’s level of success.
On an annual basis, the most popular tier of ice cream typically sells about 50 million bars, just to give you an idea of the numbers. But with 172 million ice cream bars sold, Melona easily outsold everyone else.
Top celebs would often pose for ice cream commercials during this era, when celebrity endorsements were all the rage. On the other hand, Melona pulled a clever marketing stunt by forgoing the usage of celebrity endorsments. It was clear they had faith in their goods because of this.
Two years later, in 1993, Melona sold 286 million bars—almost seven times the country’s population at the time—breaking their own record. That works up to seven melona bars eaten annually by a Korean citizen. Melona became the ice cream industry leader the year after surpassing Bravo and World Cone, the two companies that had previously held the top two slots.
An unintentional text message to a delivery person gave rise to the consumer-generated term “All That Melona,” which has a distinct meaning in Korean. Koreans still use this expression to this day to warn loved ones to be careful when they come and go.
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Melona is still the most popular ice cream in South Korea, even though the industry has grown substantially. It is a mainstay for many ice cream aficionados.
You may grow tired of hearing about Melona’s history now that you know it, but keep in mind that it’s a legendary ice cream in Korean ice cream history, and pick some up at your neighborhood Korean or Asian grocery store (or Costco!)! For more updates join us on our Twitter account.
