Binggrae ramps up global expansion with plant-based Melona ice bar

Courtesy of Binggrae

South Korea’s Binggrae Co. is ramping up its global expansion efforts by leveraging its plant-based Melona ice bar to navigate trade restrictions.

The dairy-free ice cream, made without any animal milk, faces fewer challenges during customs inspections and benefits from lower tariffs.

Binggrae announced Tuesday that sales of its plant-based Melona ice cream in Europe were three times higher during the first half of this year than the total sales in the region for all of last year.

This rapid growth comes just a year after the company introduced the product to the European market as part of its strategic expansion.

One of the main advantages of plant-based Melona is its easier export process compared to traditional ice cream products like the original Melona.

In Europe, imported dairy products are subject to stringent safety checks and high tariffs. However, since plant-based Melona is not classified as a dairy product, it can bypass many of these trade hurdles.

Since May, plant-based Melona has been sold in major Dutch supermarket chain Albert Heijn. It has also gained traction in leading Asian supermarket chains, including Go Asia in Germany, Amazing Oriental in the Netherlands, and Oseyo in the United Kingdom.

Binggrae plans to expand its distribution of Melona ice cream to Eastern and Northern Europe in the second half of the year.

The company is also working on developing new flavors tailored to regional tastes, with plans to release localized versions of the product.