“We searched through department stores and marts in Seoul to capture the freshness of melon in a snack. During the development of Melon Kick, I and my team members must have eaten hundreds of melons.”
On 3rd, at the headquarters of Nongshim in the Dongjak District of Seoul, Lee Chang-hyun, a senior researcher in the Nongshim snack development team, recalled the process of developing 'Melon Kick' and said this.
Melon Kick is a sequel released by Nongshim 47 years after 'Banana Kick.' Since its launch in April, 3.5 million bags have been sold over five weeks, averaging 100,000 bags sold per day. In the first week alone, 1.44 million bags were sold, which is approximately 1.5 times more than the 1 million bags recorded by Meoktaekgang in the same period. Meoktaekgang is a sequel to Shrimp Snack.
The biggest concern for the Melon Kick development team was how to encapsulate the taste of the raw melon and the fresh fruit itself in a snack. The researcher noted, “Just coating the snack with fruit concentrate does not give the fresh feeling of the fruit, so we were deeply concerned.”
The first step in development was to taste various types of melons. The development team purchased all kinds of melons from department stores and marts across Seoul to find the tastiest one. It was concluded that Musk Melon fits best with the concept of Melon Kick among the various melon varieties.
He said, “I tried 6 to 7 varieties including Cantaloupe and Honeydew, but Musk Melon, which is the most familiar and has a distinct sweetness, became the target.” He added, “If we present a flavor that consumers are unfamiliar with, it would be a total failure. The strong perception that melon has light green flesh also led me to believe Musk Melon was suitable.” He continued, “In just the first month of development, the entire team must have eaten hundreds of melons,” and explained, “Melon Kick was developed with the concept of 'sweet and subtle melon flavor,' and we worked hard to encapsulate the freshness of the fresh fruit in the snack.”
The development of Melon Kick did not end in a short time. The Nongshim marketing team suggested the idea of creating a product with a subtle sweetness that is trendy this summer under the slogan 'Beyond Banana' early last year. The fact that consumers are familiar with melon-flavored ice cream but there were no melon-flavored snacks in the market also contributed to solidifying the development.
After countless tests, a flavor similar to Musk Melon was created, but simply coating it onto a corn snack was not enough. The researcher stated, “By simply coating it with melon flavor, there was a strong sense of floating melon flavor on the snack. It felt like the snack flavor and the melon flavor were separate,” adding, “We needed an ingredient that could support the subtle sweetness of the melon.”
The chosen ingredient was milk. He explained, “By using whole milk powder, we added a hefty and smooth flavor.” Whole milk powder is made by powdering whole milk, which has a higher fat content than skim milk powder, giving it a richer flavor. After laying a rich and heavy yet smooth milk flavor as the base for Melon Kick, a layer of melon syrup was added on top to enhance the texture and flavor of Melon Kick.
The researcher explained, “While Banana Kick is coated with banana syrup just once on the corn snack, Melon Kick is coated twice with milk powder and melon.” He emphasized, “Because of this, Melon Kick is crunchier and richer in flavor compared to Banana Kick.”
The development of Melon Kick did not conclude quickly. He picked up a bag of Melon Kick and pointed to the list of ingredients on the back, saying, “Melon Kick contains dozens of materials and supplies, and the ratio of the ingredients or the presence of certain materials ultimately contributes to the quality.” He added, “While it is important what flavor each material presents, it is more important how they contribute to the flavor in the finished goods. We repeatedly carried out tastings of the melon, recipe improvements, and factory production tests for over a year without breaks.”
As Melon Kick gained popularity, various ways to enjoy Melon Kick are being shared on social networking services (SNS). The researcher confidently asserted, “Enjoying Melon Kick as is is the best way to eat it,” while also mentioning, “Eating it cold, mixing it with milk like cereal, or using it as an ice cream topping offers a different flavor.”
Before launching Melon Kick as a sequel to Banana Kick, Nongshim attempted several transformations through Strawberry Banana Kick, Mint Chocolate Banana Kick, and others. The researcher expressed, “If even one product in the series fails, it can affect the entire series, so I feel a sense of responsibility in expanding the brand,” while also stating, “We will strive for the Kick series, including Banana Kick, Melon Kick, and the next Kick, to become the representative brand of ‘fruit-flavored snacks.’”