[National Brand] 43 Years of Professional Baseball and 'One Body'... The Absolute Biscuit Champion 'Home Run Ball'

Haitai Confectionery's 1981 Released Shoe Snack
Unique Bond with Baseball Since KBO's Founding
Dominates Rival Copycat Products with Unrivaled Position
Steady Popularity with Various Flavors and Limited Editions

As can be seen from the product name, Haitai Confectionery's Home Run Ball has a close connection with professional baseball in Korea. It was established in 1981, the same year as the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), which is celebrating its 43rd anniversary this year. The unique choux pastry shape resembles a baseball, which inspired the brand name.

In the early 1980s, Haitai Confectionery began developing Home Run Ball, inspired by the premium choux cream pastries made at bakery specialty stores. At that time, they invested over 100 million won in development costs and developed proprietary technology to inject chocolate into thin dough. Since the choux pastry puffs up well, the inside must be hollowed out just enough to fill it with chocolate, and Haitai Confectionery is the only manufacturer in Korea with this manufacturing process.

Home Run Ball Original Package
Photo by Haitai Confectionery

The year after Home Run Ball was introduced, professional baseball officially opened in Korea, and the product sold like wildfire, especially at baseball stadiums. The initial monthly sales were around 300 to 400 million won, which the company explains is equivalent to 2 to 3 billion won in today's value. Even after more than 40 years, Home Run Ball remains the best-selling snack at the concession stands inside baseball stadiums, such as the GS25 Jamsil 3rd Base store in Seoul. At the Suwon KT Wiz stadium concession stand, Home Run Ball sales exceed the combined sales of the second to fifth best-selling snacks.

As Home Run Ball became a hit, competitors launched 'me-too products' with similar shapes and ingredients in 2005. Although Haitai Confectionery raised suspicions of copying and sent warning letters, the popularity of Home Run Ball was so dominant that the competitors discontinued production within two years.

Haitai Confectionery, Our Team Full of Fandom Home Run Ball
[Photo by Haitai Confectionery]

Haitai Confectionery cites its continuous efforts to adapt to changing times as a key reason for Home Run Ball's popularity. A representative example is expanding the product line with various flavors such as tiramisu, Greek yogurt, and pistachio to cater to diverse consumer tastes. Additionally, it can be enjoyed as an ice choux pastry by freezing it like chocolate ice cream, or heated in an air fryer to evaporate moisture from the choux, creating a crispy outside and moist inside texture known as 'geotba-sokchok' (crispy outside, moist inside).

Every year, seasonal limited-edition products are introduced by incorporating seasonal ingredients into the choux. In 2021, a limited edition Home Run Ball made with Nonsan strawberries was released, and last year, one made with Gongju chestnuts was launched, both achieving complete sell-outs. Recently, a pistachio flavor inspired by Dubai chocolate, which is gaining great popularity in the distribution market, was added to the lineup alongside the original chocolate and salted milk flavors.

According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) Food Industry Statistics Information, Home Run Ball recorded retail sales of 86.5 billion won last year, maintaining its number one position in the biscuit category. Since its launch until last year, cumulative sales have reached approximately 1.8 trillion won. The quantity produced could fill the fences of all professional baseball stadiums in Korea five times over. Last year and this year, Home Run Ball editions featuring the mascots, team logos, and symbolic colors of the nine professional baseball teams were released targeting baseball fans. A Haitai Confectionery official explained, "Limited products with different packaging by region are the first of their kind not only in the snack industry but also across the food and distribution industries."