HAITAI

Name

HAITAI

Legal name

HAITAI CONFECTIONERY & FOODS CO., LTD.

Website

https://ht.co.kr

Company type

Public

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Confectionery and Snack Foods

NAICS

Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturing (31135), Snack Food Manufacturing (31191), Other Snack Food Manufacturing (311919)

SIC

Sugar & Confectionery Products (2060), Cookies & Crackers (2052), Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030)

akta.pro primary industry

Chocolate & Candy Snacks Manufacturing (AFAKAIAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pretzels & Salted Snacks (CRADABAI), Frozen prepared meals & entrées manufacturing (AFAKAHAA)

Keywords

• Confectionery manufacturing
• Biscuit and snack production
• Frozen dumpling foods
• Korean candy and gum
• Chocolate confectionery products

Headquarters

HQ city

Yongsan

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Confectionery Product Sales: Manufacture and sale of biscuits, snacks, chocolate, candy, and gum through retail and e-commerce channels in Korea and export markets.
2. Frozen Food Product Sales: Production and sale of frozen foods including dumplings (GoHyang Mandu) through retail and foodservice channels.
3. Ice Cream Product Sales: Prior to 2023, Haitai operated an ice cream business division (Haitai Icecream) which was sold to Binggrae in April. Haitai previously sold carbonated beverages under Haitai htb Co.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

HAITAI Confectionery & Foods manufactures and sells packaged confectionery and frozen food products across six categories — biscuits, snacks, chocolate, candy, gum, and frozen foods (including GoHyang Mandu dumplings). The company sells to Korean consumers primarily through retail channels (convenience stores, supermarkets) and its proprietary Haitai Mall e-commerce platform, with a dedicated export team handling international markets. Iconic products include Home Run Ball, French Pie, Ace, Free Time, Matdongsan, and Honey Butter Chips.

Product overview

HAITAI Confectionery & Foods Co., Ltd. (해태제과식품) is a South Korean confectionery and food company offering a diverse portfolio organized into six core product categories: biscuits, snacks, chocolate, candy, gum, and food products. The company operates as a multi-brand platform with flagship products including HomeRunBall (홈런볼), French Pie (후렌치파이), Free Time (자유시간), Ace (에이스), Matdongsan (맛동산), Honey Butter Chips (허니버터칩), Oyes (오예스), Burabo Cone (부라보콘), and Gohyang Mandu (고향만두). The company also acquired the Italian gelato brand Velazzo in 2014 and previously operated a dedicated ice cream business unit (Haitai Ice Cream) which was divested to Binggrae in April 2024. Haitai's product ecosystem spans from traditional Korean confections to modern snacks, with recent expansion in honey-based sweet products under the Honey Story line.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Home Run Ball (홈런볼): Popular Korean snack brand - baseball-themed biscuit with chocolate
• Ace (에이스)
• French Pie (후렌치파이)
• Free Time (자유시간)
• Jabee (자가비)
• Mat Dongsan (맛동산)
• Burabocon (부라보콘)
• Oyes (오예스)
• Honey Story (허니 스토리)
• Haitai Mall (해태몰)
• Haitai Htb

Products and services

• Home Run Ball (홈런볼) A chocolate-coated biscuit stick snack with peanut butter filling; one of HAITAI's flagship biscuit brands sold across retail and e-commerce channels in Korea and export markets.
• French Pie (후렌치파이) A layered pie biscuit snack with various fillings, part of HAITAI's biscuit category.
• Ace (에이스) A biscuit/wafer and cookie product line; one of HAITAI's flagship brands, manufactured at the Asan factory (1,100 tons/month capacity).
• Free Time / Jayu-sigan (자유시간) A chocolate confectionery brand from HAITAI including chocolate-coated snacks and treats.
• Oyes (오예스) A chocolate-coated wafer biscuit snack produced at HAITAI's Daejeon factory; recognized with multiple quality awards.
• Matdongsan (맛동산) A savory potato-stick snack brand with various flavors; a long-standing HAITAI flagship snack.
• Honey Butter Chips (허니버터칩) A popular potato chip brand featuring honey butter flavor; HAITAI expanded capacity with a second factory completed in 2019.
• GoHyang Mandu (고향만두) A frozen dumpling product from HAITAI; consistently recognized as a top brand in Korea for frozen-food/confectionery categories.
• Jabee / Jjabi (자가비) A rice-based snack product from HAITAI's confectionery lineup.
• Denti-Q (덴티-큐) A sugar-free gum brand from HAITAI focused on dental health.
• Alsatang Candy (알사탕) A hard candy product from HAITAI produced at the Gwangju factory.
• Honey Story (허니 스토리) HAITAI's original honey series confectionery line, developed through extensive research, representing a new sweet-product extension.
• Peach Jelly (복숭아 젤리) A fruit jelly confectionery product from HAITAI featuring peach flavor.
• Baked Potato / Grilled Potato (구운감자) A baked potato snack that won the Asia Consumer Choice Best Confectionery award.
• Tintin (틴틴) A chocolate stick snack from HAITAI's product lineup.
• Nugava (누가바) A bite-sized confectionery product from HAITAI.
• Burabo Cone (부라보콘) ice cream A long-standing popular ice cream cone brand, ranked No. 1 in confectionery brand power for 11 consecutive years (Golden Brand) through 2017; the ice cream business was divested.
• Velazzo / Prato del Freddo Italian gelato An authentic Italian gelato brand acquired by HAITAI in 2014, representing the company's entry into premium ice cream (later transferred with the divested ice cream business).

Quantifiable outcome

• Top 3 market share position in South Korean confectionery market (combined ~55–65% with Orion and Lotte Confectionery)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• BinggraeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2024Binggrae, which holds an estimated 70% of the Korean ice cream market in the US through its Melona bar, finalized the acquisition of Haitai Icecream in April 2024. The ice cream business unit was sold, reducing Haitai's product portfolio.
• Meiji (Japan)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHaitai established MEIJI-HAITAI joint sales company in Japan in 1987 (MEIJI-해태합작판매 주식회사), forming a joint venture for Japanese market operations.
• HAITAI-AMERICA (USA)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHaitai established HAITAI-AMERICA as a local subsidiary in the United States in 1987 for distribution of Haitai products in the American market.
• HAITAI-JAPAN (Japan)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHaitai established HAITAI-JAPAN as a local subsidiary in Japan in 1988 for distribution of Haitai products in the Japanese market.
• HAITAI-EURO (Europe)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHaitai established a joint venture with a European partner (HAITAI-EURO) in 1992 for European market distribution and sales operations.
• Karubi (Japan)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHaitai established a joint venture with Japanese confectionery company Karubi in 1991 for the Korean market. A second joint venture for Harubi (해누리) was established in 2011. In 2003, Haitai entered a strategic business partnership with Stack (Japan).
• Haitai-Batuk (Indonesia)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHaitai established a joint venture with Batuk (Indonesia) in 1983 for local gum production through a joint company.
• Haitai-Busan Foods (해누리)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHaitai established the Harubi (해누리) joint venture in 2011 as a flour-based food joint company, later developing it into Haitai-Busan Foods.
• Gluco (해태-글리코)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHaitai established a joint venture with Gluco in 2012 for confectionery product development and production.
• Haitai Fushan Foods (불산 해태식품 유한공사)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHaitai established Fushan Haitai Foods Co., Ltd. in China in 1995 for local production and distribution of Haitai products in the Chinese market.
• Crown Holdings (크라운해태홀딩스)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCrown Confectionery and Haitai merged their holding structures to create Crown-Haitai Holdings (크라운해태홀딩스), forming Korea's leading confectionery group. The combined entity positions Haitai as part of a major diversified food group.
• Havmor (India)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLotte Wellfood acquired Havmor, which is associated with the Korean ice cream market context. In the broader Korean ice cream export market context, Lotte Wellfood's Indian operation through Havmor drove exports to 29.1 billion won in 2025. This reflects competitive dynamics in the broader market where Korean players are expanding internationally through acquisitions.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Orion Group: The third member of Korea's Big 3 confectionery trio. Famous for Choco Pie and a broad cookies/snacks portfolio; competes head-to-head with Haitai in cookies and chocolate-coated biscuits across domestic and export markets.
• Lotte Wellfood (Lotte Confectionery): Direct Korean confectionery peer and one of the 'Big 3' alongside Haitai and Orion. Competes across biscuits, chocolate, and snacks; has expanded internationally via Havmor (India) and other acquisitions, making it the closest like-for-like competitor.
• Binggrae: Korean dairy and ice cream company that acquired Haitai's ice cream business (Burabo Cone) in 2024–2025. Now a direct competitor in adjacent frozen/confectionery categories and a meaningful reshaper of the Korean snack landscape.

Broad incumbents

• The Hershey Company: Global chocolate and confectionery leader. Comparable on chocolate-centric portfolio, branded CPG marketing model, and category management depth — though at much larger scale than Haitai.
• Nongshim: Large Korean packaged food conglomerate with snacks (Shrimp Crackers) and frozen foods. Comparable in distribution reach and conglomerate structure, though different core category (instant noodles vs confectionery).
• Mondelez International: Global snacks and confectionery incumbent (Oreo, Cadbury, Toblerone). Relevant benchmark for scale, distribution muscle, and category management in biscuits and chocolate — categories central to Haitai's portfolio.
• CJ CheilJedang: Diversified Korean food conglomerate with global reach (bibigo, dumplings, frozen meals). Comparable on frozen foods (overlap with GoHyang Mandu) and on multinational CPG operations from a Korean base.
• Ottogi: Korean packaged food manufacturer spanning sauces, noodles, and frozen foods. Comparable on Korean retail distribution, multi-category portfolio strategy, and brand-driven CPG positioning.
• Crown Confectionery (Crown Haitai Holdings): Parent group of Haitai via Crown Haitai Holdings (formed 2017). Operates the broader confectionery holding company alongside Haitai and other group entities; relevant for understanding corporate strategy and capital allocation.

Regional players

• Meiji Holdings: Japanese confectionery incumbent and Haitai's JV partner since 1987 (MEIJI-HAITAI). Comparable in biscuits, chocolate, and gum categories; serves as the most relevant regional (Japan) benchmark for Haitai's export play.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/haitai_co
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@haitai

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HAITAI