Korean ice cream exports surpass $100 million, led by Binggrae Melona's US success, Lotte's India push Assorted flavors of Melona, Binggrae's flagship fruit-flavored ice cream bar (Binggrae) The Korean food craze has been red-hot. Now it's cooling palates with frozen treats.Korean ice cream is turning up in summers around the world as the latest beneficiaries of the K-food boom, with exports surpassing the $100 million threshold for the first time last year.Frozen dessert exports continue that climb this year, rising 14.1 percent on-year to $49.8 million in the first four months, according to Korea Customs Service data. The US remained the dominant market, taking more than 40 percent of shipments, followed by China, Canada, the Philippines and Vietnam.One standout is Binggrae, best known globally for Banana Flavored Milk. Its melon-flavored, chewy-textured Melona bar has become one of Korea's most recognizable frozen dessert exports, alongside Samanco, its fish-shaped ice cream sandwich.The company opened a US subsidiary in 2016 and began local production the following year, helping Melona capture an estimated 70 percent of the Korean ice cream market in the US. The brand is now sold in more than 30 countries, with Europe, the Middle East and Australia emerging as newer growth markets. A Melona multipack (Binggrae) According to the company, growing interest in Korean cuisine has driven Melona's rise, with its varied flavors and gelato-like texture setting it apart from local favorites. Binggrae has since broadened the lineup with regionally tailored flavors and plant-based versions for the European market."We're expanding our footprint through both new markets and wider distribution, from Asian grocers to mainstream retailers," a Binggrae official said. "Halal certification and international food exhibitions are helping support that growth."Industry officials expect Binggrae's overseas growth to gain momentum after it finalized the Haitai Icecream acquisition in April, enabling the company to leverage its international distribution network more broadly.Overseas sales now account for a growing share of Binggrae's ice cream business, rising to 21.9 percent of division revenue in the first quarter from 9.3 percent in 2020.Another major player is Lotte Wellfood, whose exports of brands such as Tico, Sweet Corn and World Cone more than doubled to 29.1 billion won ($19.1 million) in 2025 from 13.7 billion won in 2021.Though not reflected in those export figures, the company has been building a much larger presence in India, where it entered through the acquisition of local ice cream maker Havmor in 2017.Revenue at its Indian ice cream operation more than tripled since 2020 to 196.5 billion won last year, with Krunch — a bar featuring a crunchy cookie coating and strawberry filling — surpassing 1 million units sold within three months of launch.The company made clear it intends to bring more of its Korean ice cream brands to Indian consumers."This year, we are focused on ensuring stable product supply through our newly opened ice cream plant in Pune, in the western state of Maharashtra," said a Lotte Wellfood official, adding that the company is eyeing southern India as its next frontier.The trend of Korean ice cream making inroads overseas is likely to continue, industry officials suggest, especially as Korea's domestic ice cream market has contracted by more than 30 percent over the past decade amid demographic decline and market saturation."With K-food drawing more global attention, foreign consumers are discovering Korean ice cream, and we expect that momentum to continue," said one industry official. "Success overseas increasingly depends on localization." Promotional image of Krunch ice cream bars sold in India (Lotte Wellfood)