Ohayo Brûlée Milk ice cream, being introduced to South Korea for the first time by Seven-Eleven [Seven-Eleven]
Ohayo Brûlée Milk ice cream, being introduced to South Korea for the first time by Seven-Eleven [Seven-Eleven]

Seven-Eleven will launch the premium dessert ice cream "Ohayo Brûlée Milk" in South Korea for the first time starting Wednesday, in collaboration with Japanese dairy company Ohayo Dairy Products.

The product is an ice cream rendition of crème brûlée, the French dessert enjoyed by cracking through a caramelized sugar crust to reach the cream beneath. Since its debut in 2017, it has been a hit — and Korean consumers have long had it on their culinary bucket lists.

Seven-Eleven began working with Ohayo Dairy Products in 2023 and the following year introduced its Jersey milk pudding to Korean stores. The pudding has since sold about 2.7 million units in total, topping the convenience chain's global-sourcing product rankings. It also ranks among the top three products overall by foreign-payment transactions. Sales in the pudding category surged 493 percent last year.

This time, Seven-Eleven is targeting the premium ice cream market. The chain made multiple visits to Ohayo Dairy Products starting in 2024 to bring the product to Korea. Ohayo Brûlée Milk posed a particular challenge: as both a dairy and a frozen product, it faced stringent export standards. Seven-Eleven spent three months working with quarantine authorities in both countries to secure the necessary import approvals.

Drawing on the expertise it built while directly sourcing the refrigerated Jersey milk pudding, Seven-Eleven will use a high-speed ferry route connecting Tokyo and Busan for shipments. The company has also established a cold-chain logistics system — incorporating refrigerated reefer containers — called "Cold-Chain Lock" to ensure the product arrives safely in South Korea.

"Every step of the process — from contacting the manufacturer to navigating the demanding quarantine procedures — was something everyone said was impossible," said Yoon Se-young, head of Seven-Eleven's global sourcing team. "After months of rigorous logistics and ingredient testing, we are now able to present it in perfect condition."


spa@heraldcorp.com