Lotte India debuts biscuit snack PEPERO, eyes Rs 2,000 cr revenue in 2025

Chennai: Lotte India, part of the South Korean conglomerate Lotte Group, expanded its product portfolio with the launch of its first biscuit snack, PEPERO, in India, as it aims to achieve Rs 2,000 crore in revenue this year.

Available in 'original' and 'crunchy' flavours, PEPERO is Korea's No 1 biscuit snack brand and has been exported to over 56 countries, Lotte India managing director Milan Wahi said.

"What we will be selling here is slightly sweeter compared to the variant sold in Korea. We have worked on the product for a long time, keeping in mind Indian preferences. Indians generally prefer slightly sweeter snacks. This is a 'made in India' product and also marks Lotte India’s entry into the biscuit snack category," he told reporters.

Explaining the rationale behind the launch, he said the Indian snacking market is evolving, with consumers seeking products that resonate with their lifestyle, emotions, and identity.

"We are positioning PEPERO in the mass-premium segment, targeting Gen Z consumers, who make up about 377 million people in India," he said.

"PEPERO celebrates diversity," he added. The PEPERO brand currently accounts for a USD 1.3 billion market in Korea, and the Lotte Group aims to expand it to USD 13 billion over the next 10 years, Wahi said.

"We are launching it in India as the first market. Later, we will begin exporting from here to the Middle East and Far Eastern countries," he noted.

"We will also introduce Indian variants of PEPERO in the future," he added. The Rohtak plant in Haryana is Lotte India’s first manufacturing facility outside Korea, and the company has earmarked Rs 475 crore in investments, Wahi said. Of this investment, Rs 225 crore is allocated to the PEPERO business, and around Rs 15 crore has been set aside for the brand's marketing campaign, he added.

According to him, post the merger of Havmor icecream, Lotte India clocked a revenue of Rs 1,750 crore. The confectionery business earned Rs 720 crore while the Ice-cream brand Havmor reported Rs 1,030 crore in December 2024.

For the present year, the target set is Rs 2,000 crore, of which confectionery Lotte India is expected to clock Rs 800 crore while ice-cream Havmor Rs 1,200 crore.

Wahi said the company has for 2027 set a target to generate Rs 3,000 crore revenue, of which confectionery would generate Rs 1,250 crore while Havmor is expected to contribute Rs 1,750 crore.

A trial pack of original PEPERO is priced at Rs 20, while the crunchy variant is priced at Rs 30. The ‘home pack’ of original PEPERO costs Rs 50, and the crunchy 'home pack' is priced at Rs 70, he said.