America’s all-time favorite pretzel brand Snyder’s of Hanover will re-enter South Korean snack market via local snack maker Crown Confectionery Co., with the salty and buttery biscuit gaining popularity as a tidbit among beer and wine lovers in Korea.

A pretzel is a type of snack made from sourdough most commonly shaped into a twisted knot and has a salty taste. It remains as an all-time favorite snack in the U.S. and Europe.

Crown Confectionery on Tuesday said it inked an agreement with Snyder`s-Lance Inc., U.S-based snack maker that owns Snyder’s of Hanover brand along with many other snack labels, to form a strategic partnership. Under the agreement, the Korean snack maker will have exclusive rights on pretzel supplies to sell and distribute the Snyder’s of Hanover pretzels in Korea. The Korean snack maker also plans to gradually increase the volume of cross-selling products with Snyder`s-Lance.

Snyder`s-Lance first entered Korean snack market with its pretzels in 2007 through a bakery company as its reseller but it was forced to exit the market last year after failing to penetrate into Korea’s bigger retail shops. The America’s number one pretzel brand suffered a disgrace in its first attempt due to the marketing strategy of positioning itself as an assortment of bakery products when it actually is a type of snack, industry experts said.

The American snack maker posted $1.66 billion in net revenue for the full year 2015 and accounts for a 35 percent of pretzel market in the U.S.

The demand for pretzels is rising sharply, especially among beer lovers, said an unnamed Crown Confectionery official. The estimated size of pretzel market in Korea is around 40 billion won a year, according to local snack makers.

The pretzel assortments will hit the shelves in near future through Crown Confectionery’s sales network throughout the country, the official added.

By Jeon Ji-hyun

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business News Korea & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]