Starting Product Production with New Potatoes from June
Check Packaging for '100% Domestic New Potatoes' Label
Enjoy the Freshest Poca Chips Available
Orion announced on the 17th that it will produce fresh potato chips, ‘Pocachip’ and ‘Swingchip,’ using domestically grown new potatoes to coincide with the June potato harvest season.
Pocachip and Swingchip will use domestically grown potatoes harvested from June to November this year in renowned potato-producing regions such as Boseong and Haenam in Jeollanam-do, Dangjin and Yesan in Chungcheongnam-do, and Yanggu in Gangwon-do. Since fresh potato chips are made by slicing potatoes as they are, the quality of the raw potatoes determines the taste of the product. The potatoes are moved immediately after harvest to the production base in Cheongju and potato storage facilities for production, allowing consumers to enjoy fresh potato chips that capture the taste, nutrition, and freshness of seasonal potatoes. This year, Orion plans to use about 15,000 tons of domestically grown potatoes for Pocachip and Swingchip production through contracts with over 320 excellent potato farming households nationwide.
Last summer, word spread that Pocachip made from domestically grown new potatoes had been released, sparking a Pocachip craze among consumers. On social media, consumers voluntarily shared certification shots of purchasing packages labeled ‘100% domestic new potatoes,’ generating significant buzz with comments such as “You can only taste it during the new potato season,” “Check the new potatoes,” and “This is a seasonal snack these days.” Since this year is also the period when the freshest Pocachip can be enjoyed, it is expected to receive great consumer response.
Orion established Korea’s first ‘Potato Research Institute’ in Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do, in 1988 and has spared no investment to procure the highest quality potatoes under the principle that ‘good products come from good raw materials.’ The company continuously pursues quality improvement activities such as developing potato seeds optimized for potato chips and storage technologies to maintain potato freshness. In addition, through annual contract farming, Orion guarantees stable income for farmers and carries out various win-win activities such as disseminating advanced farming technologies and providing free agricultural machinery support.
Since the launch of Pocachip in 1988, Orion has maintained an unshakable No. 1 position in the domestic fresh potato chip market for over 30 years by introducing products with diversified tastes and textures based on differentiated product development capabilities. Orion’s fresh potato chips are popular not only in Korea but also overseas in countries such as China and Vietnam, competing with leading global products. Pocachip and Swingchip have established themselves as representative ‘K-snacks,’ with combined sales exceeding 300 billion KRW last year in Korea, China, and Vietnam.
An Orion official stated, “We spare no investment to provide consumers with high-quality potato chips from the development of potato seeds to the final product,” adding, “As a seasonal snack made from freshly harvested, high-quality new potatoes, like the most delicious seasonal fruits, we expect it to gain great popularity this summer.”
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