"Don't Buy Highball Lemon"... Convenience Store Dips Fresh Fruit in Ice Cup

CU Includes Lemon with Block Ice
Seven Eleven Launches Cube Ice with Lemon and Lime

Convenience stores CU and 7-Eleven announced on the 23rd that they will be introducing fresh fruit placed in ice cups that pair well with highballs, cocktails, and sparkling water. The release date is scheduled for the end of this month.

CU is launching the ‘Big Ball Lemon Ice Cup (170g)’ which contains large chunks of ice with lemon inside. This product allows customers to purchase an ice cup with lemon included at nearby convenience stores without having to prepare ice and lemon separately when making a highball.

CU introduced this product considering that their freshly squeezed lemon highball, released recently, sold over 6 million units in just over three months, and the sales share of alcoholic highballs increased from 3.7% to 11.2%.

The product has a shelf life of about 1 year and 6 months, making it easy to store. The packaging features a clean white background with a sensibly drawn yellow lemon artwork by artist Cheongshin, adding an emotional touch.

To coincide with the product launch, CU will hold a promotion next month where customers purchasing their own whiskey product ‘Frame American Whiskey (200mL)’ will receive a Big Ball Lemon Ice Cup, and those purchasing ‘Suntory Kakubin (700ml)’ will receive tonic water and a Big Ball Lemon Ice Cup as gifts.

7-Eleven is releasing a product featuring a large-sized (230g) ice cup filled with cube ice topped with fresh lemon and lime slices. The ice cup can be used according to preference with highballs, cocktails, beer, sparkling water, cider, and more, which is its advantage.

Lee Si-cheol, MD of 7-Eleven’s Ready-to-Eat Food Team, explained, “As more customers enjoy refreshing drinks during the summer, we expect a positive response across various age groups.”

Ice cups are a best-selling product at convenience stores. Ice cups have ranked first in 7-Eleven’s summer sales every year, and with the recent popularity of alcoholic beverages like highballs, they have also ranked second in overall annual sales. At CU, ice cups are a steady seller with over 200 million units sold annually.