Greek yogurt brand Yojeum wins over all three major convenience store chains

Greek yogurt brand Yojeum has won over all three of South Korea's major convenience store chains — GS25, CU and Seven-Eleven — riding a wave of character intellectual property collaborations that have kept it in the spotlight.

Yojeum has become the go-to spoonable Greek yogurt at convenience stores, industry officials said Sunday, as the wellness trend pushes more consumers toward high-protein, low-sugar options. According to market research firm Euromonitor, South Korea's fermented dairy market grew from 1.8 trillion won ($1.21 billion) in 2018 to 2.12 trillion won last year and is forecast to reach 2.25 trillion won this year.

Demand from foreign tourists has added further momentum. Mukbang videos showing yogurt topped with fruit and cereal have gone viral on social media, drawing attention to Greek yogurt products at convenience stores. Yogurt ranked No. 1 among products purchased by foreign tourists at Seven-Eleven in the January–June period this year, and Yojeum's blueberry Greek yogurt briefly topped the foreign-customer sales chart at GS25 as well.

Character IP collaborations have been the decisive factor. The key lies in the plastic container: each tub features a two-layer stacked structure in which the top compartment holds the yogurt while the bottom compartment contains a character IP item.

CU was the first to partner with Yojeum, launching "Yojeum Pink Greek Yogurt" alongside the monkey character Pingru on March 18. The tub came with a Pingru Gamja-sungyi figure, and cumulative sales reached 200,000 units by May.

GS25 and Seven-Eleven both rolled out Yojeum collaboration products this month. GS25 included a Chunsik figure, while Seven-Eleven added a Hello Kitty magnet. Both products sold out immediately upon hitting shelves.

The brand's financials reflect the momentum. Sales reached 31.2 billion won last year, up 34.8 percent from the previous year, while operating profit rose 438.3 percent to 900 million won over the same period.

"Character IP is effective at capturing the attention of younger consumers and broadening their purchasing experience," an industry official said. "More collaboration products will continue to emerge."