Orion's Turtle Chips sales soar in US

US customers hold Orion's Turtle Chips at a Miniso store in the US. (Orion)

The popularity of the Orion brand's Turtle Chips continued to grow in the US last year, boosting its annual sales to around 12 billion won ($8.8 million). Orion, a South Korean confectionery and snack manufacturer, is supplying the chips at the snack bars of major firms such as Google and Netflix, the company said Wednesday.

According to Orion, the annual sales of Turtle Chips in the US reached 12 billion, around 200 times higher than the figure in 2017 when the company first launched the snack in the US.

Orion said the company expects Turtle Chips’ annual sales this year could surpass 20 billion won in the US, as the company has started to supply the snack to more venues this year.

Starting in March this year, Turtle Chips have become available at 1,598 locations of Five Below, an American chain of specialty discount stores where most products are priced at $5 or less. The snack also sells at 52 locations of Miniso, a low-cost retailer and variety store chain that specializes in household and consumer goods, the company added.

“Starting this year, the snack is also available at snack bars located at headquarters of international companies like Google and Netflix,” an official from Orion said.

Orion said the increase in Turtle Chips’ sales in the US has been driven by “strong demand among younger customers.” “The variety of flavors of Turtle Chips available in the US market has appealed to the customers,” the official added.

Orion has been expanding its sales largely through increasing distribution at large chain stores in the US. In 2019, Orion started to supply Turtle Chips to Costco Wholesale, followed by Sam's Club in 2021. The total number of discount stores that handle the Korean snack also increased to 460 in 2021, from 100 in 2019.

If Turtle Chips’ annual sales surpass 40 billion won, Orion will consider building a local manufacturing facility in the US to better handle demand, according to the company.

“Orion is planning on launching Turtle Chips at Costco Wholesale stores in Mexico during the first quarter this year,” the Orion official added.