Haitai Confectionery and Foods co.

What Haitai Confectionery and Foods co. does

Haitai Confectionery and Foods Co., Ltd. (해태제과식품) is a South Korea-based food processing company founded in 1945 that manufactures and distributes confectionery and frozen food products. The company is headquartered in Seoul (Yongsan-gu) and operates as a publicly listed entity on the Korea Exchange (KOSPI) since 2016, under the Crown Haitai Holdings group formed in 2016. Haitai produces six core product categories — biscuits, snacks, chocolate, candy, gum, and frozen foods — supported by five dedicated manufacturing facilities across South Korea (Cheonan, Daejeon, Gwangju, Cheongju, Asan) with combined monthly production capacity of approximately 8,646 tons and an in-house research institute (est. 1981) employing roughly 50 researchers including 5 PhDs and 25 Master's degree holders.

The company's product portfolio spans flagship brands including Home Run Ball, Ace, and French Pie (biscuits); Free Time and Oh Yes (chocolate); Mat Dongsan and Jabee (snacks); AlSatang (candy); Denti-Q and Acacia (gum); and Gohyang Mandu (Korean dumplings), with newer lines such as Honey Butter Chips and the premium Honey Story series. Production technology is supported by KOLAS-accredited testing capabilities (first in Korea's confectionery industry, 1997), SMART HACCP food safety systems across all factories, ISO 9001/14001:2015/45001 certifications, and patents on natural preservatives and colorants. The 2023 divestiture of the ice cream division to Haitai Ice Cream Co. narrowed the operating scope to core confectionery and frozen foods.

Haitai generates revenue through direct sales of branded consumer products via multiple channels: retail distribution (supermarkets, convenience stores), proprietary Haitai Mall e-commerce platform (haitaimall.co.kr), physical retail presence, and international exports to subsidiaries in China, the US, Japan, and Europe. The company serves Korean general consumers as the primary segment (B2C, horizontal segmentation), supplemented by food service channel sales for frozen foods. GTM motion is direct-to-consumer with the company also maintaining dedicated export inquiry functions, IR communications, and customer service infrastructure. Strategic positioning leverages 80-year brand heritage, multi-category portfolio depth, and certified manufacturing scale to defend market share in the highly competitive Korean confectionery sector.

Name

Haitai Confectionery and Foods co.

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

Short description

Haitai Confectionery and Foods Co., Ltd. is a South Korea-based food manufacturer founded in 1945 that produces and distributes biscuits, snacks, chocolate, candy, gum, and frozen dumplings through five domestic factories and retail, e-commerce, and export channels to Korean consumers and international markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Confectionery and Snacks

NAICS

Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing (3113), Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturing (31135), Cookie, Cracker, and Pasta Manufacturing (31182), Snack Food Manufacturing (31191), Nonchocolate Confectionery Manufacturing (311340)

SIC

Sugar & Confectionery Products (2060), Cookies & Crackers (2052), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Confectionery Manufacturing (Chocolate, Candy, Gum) (AFAKAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Chocolate & Candy Snacks Manufacturing (AFAKAIAM), Sugar Confectionery (Gummies, Hard Candy, Chews) (CRADABAB), Extruded Snacks Manufacturing (Puffs, Curls, Sticks) (AFAKAIAE)

Keywords

• Confectionery manufacturing
• Snack food production
• Chocolate and candy
• Frozen dumplings
• Chewing gum 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, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Confectionery and Snack Products: Core revenue from manufacturing and selling biscuit, snack, chocolate, candy, and gum products through retail channels and direct sales platforms
2. Food Products: Revenue from frozen food products including dumplings (Gohyang Mandu) and ice cream products
3. E-commerce (Haitai Mall): Direct-to-consumer online sales through proprietary ecommerce platform
4. Export Sales: International export of confectionery products with dedicated export inquiry contacts

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Haitai Confectionery and Foods Co. manufactures and distributes a diversified portfolio of branded confectionery and food products across six categories — biscuits, snacks, chocolate, candy, gum, and frozen foods (including dumplings and Italian gelato). The company operates five domestic manufacturing facilities (Cheonan, Daejeon, Gwangju, Cheongju, Asan) plus a dedicated R&D institute, producing flagship brands such as Home Run Ball, Ace, French Pie, Free Time, Oh Yes, Mat Dongsan, AlSatang, Gohyang Mandu, and the newer Honey Story and Honey Butter Chips lines. Products reach consumers through Haitai Mall e-commerce, domestic retail, and international export channels.

Product overview

Haitai Confectionery and Foods co. (해태제과식품) is Korea's leading confectionery and snack manufacturer. The company operates a diversified portfolio organized into six core product categories — bisquets, snacks, chocolate, candy, gum, and food — supported by five manufacturing plants across Korea (Cheonan, Daejeon, Gwangju, Cheongju, and Asan) and a dedicated R&D center established in 1981. The product lineup includes flagship brands such as Ace, Home Run Ball, and French Pie (bisquets), Ok-yes and Free Time (chocolate), Gohyang Mandu (food), and Jahabi (snacks), alongside newer product lines such as the Honey Story (허니 스토리) premium honey series and Honey Butter Chips. The company has also expanded internationally through acquisitions such as Italian gelato brand Pizzazo del Freddo in 2014.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Home Run Ball (홈런볼): Biscuit brand featuring chocolate-coated peanuts
• Jabee (자가비)
• French Pie (후렌치파이)
• Free Time (자유시간)
• Ace (에이스)
• Ohyes (오예스)
• Matdongsan (맛동산)
• AlSatang (알사탕)
• Burabocon (부라보콘)
• Honey Series (허니 시리즈)
• HoneyButter Chip (허니버터칩)
• Nugabara (누가바)
• TinTin (틴틴)
• Acacia (아카시아)
• Denti-Q (덴티-큐)
• Gohyang Mandu (고향만두)
• Pralazzo del Freddo (빨라쪼 델 프레도)
• Haitai Mall (해태몰)
• CHITV
• IBurabo.com (아이부라보)

Products and services

• Biscuits (Ace, Home Run Ball, French Pie) Biscuit category spanning flagship brands Ace, Home Run Ball (chocolate-coated peanut biscuit), and French Pie (layered biscuit). Produced at Haitai's Asan factory. Sold through retail chains, convenience stores and Haitai Mall e-commerce to Korean consumers.
• Snacks (Matdongsan, Jabee, Baked Potatoes) Snack category including Matdongsan (recognized as Korea's Most Beloved Brand 2019 and Asia Consumer Best Confectionery 2019), Jabee, and Baked Potatoes (Most Beloved Brand 2022). Produced at the Cheongju factory and sold across retail and e-commerce.
• Chocolate (Free Time, Oh Yes, TP) Chocolate and chocolate-processed products including Free Time, Oh Yes (chocolate wafer, winner of Asia Consumer Best Confectionery 2020) and TP. Produced at Cheonan and Daejeon factories. Sold domestically and exported.
• Candy (AlSatang) Candy category led by AlSatang, produced at the Gwangju factory (the largest of Haitai's plants at 5,200 tons/month). Distributed through domestic retail and export channels.
• Gum (Denti-Q, Acacia) Gum category including Denti-Q and Acacia brands, produced at the Cheonan factory for both Korean domestic consumption and international export markets.
• Frozen Foods — Gohyang Mandu (Korean dumplings) Frozen Korean dumpling (mandu) brand Gohyang Mandu, holding Brand Power #1 for 6 consecutive years and Korea Industry Brand Power #1 in 2018. Produced at the Gwangju factory. Sold to consumers, restaurants and food-service providers.
• Honey Story (허니 스토리) premium honey-based confectionery series Premium honey-based confectionery series developed over 15,000 hours of research and 1,500+ product variants tested, positioned as Haitai's original new sweet category. Promoted on the company homepage as a signature innovation.
• Honey Butter Chips (허니버터칩) Honey butter-flavored chip snack product launched in 2015 with a second production line completed in 2016. Sold through retail and export channels.
• Pralazzo del Freddo Italian gelato Authentic Italian gelato brand acquired by Haitai in 2014, operated as a wholly owned subsidiary under the name Pralazzo del Freddo. Marketed as Haitai's entry into the premium Italian gelato category in Korea.

Quantifiable outcome

• Burabocon achieved 11 consecutive years as brand power leader, earning 'Golden Brand' status
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Crown Haitai Holdings (크라운해태홀딩스)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Crown Haitai Holdings was established in 2016 as a holding company structure combining Crown Confectionery and Haitai Confectionery & Foods, creating one of Korea's largest confectionery groups. This represents a major strategic consolidation of two major Korean confectionery companies under unified ownership.
• Pralazzo del Fredo (빨라쪼 델 프레도)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Acquired Italian authentic gelato business Pralazzo del Fredo in 2014, expanding into premium ice cream and gelato market segment with authentic Italian recipes and techniques.
• Haitai-Glyco Joint VentureminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Established joint venture with Glyco, continuing strategic partnerships in the confectionery industry.
• Haitai Garubi Joint VentureminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Established joint venture with Garubi for flour-based products (Haitai Garubi), building on earlier joint venture relationships dating back to 1991.
• HAITAI-Japan Stack Strategic PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2003Strategic business partnership with Japanese company Stack focused on snack products.
• HAITAI-EURO Joint VentureminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1992European joint venture partnership established for confectionery business expansion.
• HAITAI-GARUBI Joint VentureminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1991Early joint venture partnership established with Garubi for confectionery and snack production.
• MEIJI-HAITAI Sales Joint VentureminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1987Sales joint venture with Meiji for distribution of confectionery products in the Japanese market.
• HAITAI-Batoek Joint VentureminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1983Joint venture partnership with Batoek for gum production established overseas.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Hershey Company: Hershey is a major North American chocolate and confectionery manufacturer with global brand reach. Comparable in chocolate manufacturing and confectionery category, though operates at materially larger scale with US-centric distribution.
• Ferrero Group: Ferrero is a global confectionery leader known for Nutella, Ferrero Rocher, and Kinder brands. Comparable in chocolate confectionery manufacturing and premium category positioning, though at significantly larger international scale.
• Mondelez International: Mondelez is a global confectionery giant (Oreo, Cadbury, Toblerone) with broad biscuit, chocolate, and gum portfolio. Comparable at category level in biscuits and chocolate, though operates globally at vastly larger scale than Haitai's regional focus.
• Nongshim: Nongshim is Korea's leading instant noodles and snack company (Shrimp Crackers) with a broader food portfolio. Comparable in Korean snack manufacturing scale and distribution, though its core focus is noodles rather than confectionery.

Regional players

• Calbee: Calbee is Japan's leading snack food manufacturer producing chips, crackers, and savory snacks. Comparable in snack manufacturing technology and Asian market focus, though concentrated in savory rather than sweet confectionery.
• Meiji Holdings: Meiji is a leading Japanese confectionery and dairy company with chocolate, gum, and snack products. Comparable product categories and historical sales JV partnership with Haitai for Japanese market distribution, though primarily operating in Japan rather than Korea.

Direct peers

• Crown Confectionery: Crown Confectionery is Haitai's sister company under Crown Haitai Holdings, producing chocolate (Crunky), cookies (Crown Sandwich), and snacks for the Korean market. Closely comparable product portfolio and overlapping retail distribution in confectionery and snacks.
• Orion Group: Orion is a major Korean confectionery and snack company producing Choco Pie, Dr. You, and a broad snack portfolio. Direct competition with Haitai in biscuits, snacks, and chocolate categories across Korean retail and export markets.
• Binggrae: Binggrae is a Korean dairy and confectionery company known for flavored milk, ice cream, and snack brands. Comparable in frozen food and snack categories (especially following Haitai's ice cream divestiture) and overlapping Korean distribution channels.
• Lotte Confectionery: Lotte Confectionery is Korea's largest confectionery manufacturer, producing chocolate (Pepero, Ghana), gum, candy, and biscuits with comparable product breadth and Korean market dominance. Direct overlap with Haitai's biscuit, chocolate, candy, and gum categories targeting identical Korean retail channels.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/haitai_co
• Facebookfacebook.com/HaitaiCo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries9 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 Confectionery and Foods co.