Ice cream recreating menu from tvN show 'Ujutteokjip' wins praise
Initial 500,000-unit run sold out in five days; preorders underway
Lotte Wellfood said Wednesday that the initial production run of 500,000 units of its new product, "Chaltteok Ice IN Ujutteokjip Black Sesame Injeolmi," developed jointly with the tvN variety show "Ujutteokjip" (Space Tteok House), sold out within five days of its release.
A preorder round on the company's official online store, Sweet Mall, also sold out in 18 hours. A limited run of 500 sets of "clicker" merchandise shaped like the ice cream likewise sold out completely.
Lotte Wellfood has launched emergency additional production to meet demand and is shipping the product as soon as it comes off the line. A second round of preorders is currently underway.
The product was developed around a new menu item called "heugimja toron ice cream" (black sesame ice cream). Cast members devised the recipe while running a shop called Ujutteokjip in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, and eating Lotte Wellfood's existing Chaltteok Ice ice cream. The final product wraps black sesame ice cream infused with injeolmi syrup in a glutinous rice cake.
Word of mouth spread quickly on online communities and SNS soon after the launch, with buyers posting reviews such as "It tasted just as good as I hoped after watching the show" and "I had to check several convenience stores before I finally found one."
A Lotte Wellfood official said, "The combination of turning a buzzworthy recipe from the show into an everyday dessert and the appeal of the limited-edition merchandise has drawn a response beyond our expectations, both online and offline."
spa@heraldcorp.com
