Lotte Wellfood ramps up Choco Pie output in India after annual sales top W100b

Lotte Wellfood said Monday it has begun full operation of a fourth Choco Pie production line at its Indian subsidiary, Lotte India, as the brand looks to tighten its grip on the market after annual sales in India surpassed 100 billion won ($68.2 million) for the first time last year.

Lotte Choco Pie holds more than 70 percent of India's choco pie market, with average annual growth of about 20 percent over the past three years.

The company has pursued an infrastructure investment strategy of expanding production capacity in step with rising demand. Lotte Wellfood added a third line at its Chennai factory in Tamil Nadu in 2023, then in May 2024 broke ground on a fourth line at its Rohtak factory in Haryana with an investment of about 30 billion won.

The fourth line entered a stabilization phase in June before moving into full operation. The addition raises Lotte India's annual Choco Pie production capacity by about 33 percent. With the increased supply, local Choco Pie sales this year are expected to grow more than 20 percent from a year earlier.

Marking one year since the merger of its snack and ice cream businesses, Lotte India posted first-half sales growth of about 28 percent compared with the same period last year. Lotte Wellfood is continuing to consolidate its distribution networks across the south, north and west of India to maximize operational efficiency at the integrated subsidiary. Lotte India is targeting annual sales of 1 trillion won by 2032.

"The launch of the fourth line for Lotte Choco Pie — a mega brand in the Indian market — will allow us to respond stably to growing local demand," a Lotte Wellfood official said. "Through the steady growth of Lotte Choco Pie and continued efficiency improvements at the integrated subsidiary, we aim to become a leading company in India's snack and ice cream market."