Limited K-pop tie-in, Lotte’s Stray Kids Pepero pushes the classic snack into 2026

Lotte Wellfood is leaning on K-pop power for its flagship snack: a limited Stray Kids edition of Pepero that refreshes the long-running chocolate stick brand with new packaging and flavors aimed at younger global buyers.

Edited by ad hoc news Flagship & Bestseller Desk. Reviewed before publication on 06/15/2026 at 2:26 PM ET. Details in the imprint.

Lotte Wellfood is putting fresh star power behind its flagship snack with the limited Stray Kids Pepero edition, pairing the long-established chocolate biscuit sticks with one of K-pop’s most active global fandoms. The collaboration keeps the core Pepero formula intact but wraps it in new group-themed packaging and curated flavor mixes designed to stand out on shelves and in social feeds.

How Stray Kids Pepero updates Lotte’s bestseller

Pepero itself is a familiar format: thin biscuit sticks coated in chocolate or other flavored coatings, sold in compact cardboard boxes across convenience stores and supermarkets in Korea and export markets. Lotte Wellfood has turned the brand into a year-round seller that peaks every November 11, when “Pepero Day” drives spikes in volume as consumers exchange boxes as small gifts, and the Stray Kids tie-in builds directly on that established popularity. According to Lotte’s English-language corporate materials, Pepero has become one of its representative confectionery lines with multiple sub-variants from original chocolate to almond, nude and “crunchy” coatings. The official Pepero brand page lists more than a dozen permanent flavors and highlights its role as a long-running Korean snack brand.

The Stray Kids collaboration is structured around limited-edition packaging runs featuring member imagery and group logos rather than a permanent change to the recipe, allowing Lotte to keep production anchored in existing Pepero manufacturing lines. Korean-language announcements and retail listings describe special boxes that bundle multiple Pepero flavors with randomized member photo cards, positioning the product as both a snack and a low-price collectible that can sit near checkout counters without major merchandising changes. A recent social post from a K-pop-focused retailer showed shelves filled with “STRAY KIDS x PEPERO” boxes and noted that the limited collection was “flying off” shortly after arrival, indicating strong early demand among fans once the edition hit stores. The retailer’s Instagram description emphasizes the tie-in as a dedicated offer “for STAYs,” the official Stray Kids fandom.

Lotte’s brand partnership strategy around Pepero has evolved over the past years, with earlier collaborations focused on seasonal graphics and character licenses; the Stray Kids edition raises the stakes by tapping a group with a sizable international following that can amplify promotions through its own channels. South Korean media and social commentary describe “the Stray Kids effect” as part of a broader push by domestic consumer groups like Lotte Wellfood to lean on cultural exports when refreshing mature brands, with snacks, beverages and fashion all attaching themselves to idol groups to reach younger buyers at home and abroad. One commentary piece cited Lotte Wellfood’s renewed partnership with Stray Kids as evidence that K-pop-linked snacks are now influencing global demand patterns rather than serving only the domestic market, reflecting how merchandise-style confectionery is being used to test export potential in regions where K-culture fandom is particularly strong. A Korea-based outlet’s social post framed the collaboration as reshaping expectations for what a simple chocolate stick can represent in terms of brand reach.

For Lotte Wellfood, the Stray Kids Pepero edition slots neatly into a portfolio where the original Pepero remains a core revenue driver alongside Choco Pie and other confectionery staples, giving the group an additional narrative as it pursues “aggressive investment and innovation” in its home market. The company is part of the broader Lotte conglomerate, which has repeatedly highlighted food and retail as pillars of its domestic strategy, and high-visibility lifestyle products like Pepero serve as a bridge between traditional grocery aisles and younger consumers active on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. Shares of Lotte Wellfood (KR7004990006) closed on the Korea Exchange at KRW 124,500 on 06/14/2026, reflecting investor attention on its ability to maintain growth in core snack categories while experimenting with collaborations like Stray Kids Pepero.

Stray Kids Pepero by Lotte Wellfood at a glance

• Product: Stray Kids Pepero (limited edition)
• Manufacturer: Lotte Wellfood Co.
• Category: Flagship/Bestseller confectionery snack
• Launch date: 2026 limited collaboration run (exact start date not officially disclosed)
• MSRP / Price: Typically priced in the low single-digit 1,000 KRW range per box in Korean retail; exact collaboration pricing varies by retailer
• Availability: South Korean convenience stores and supermarkets, selected K-pop and import retailers in overseas markets
• Target audience: Stray Kids fans (STAYs), teen and young adult snack buyers, K-culture consumers
• Key differentiator / USP: Combines the established Pepero chocolate stick format with limited-edition K-pop branding and collectible photo cards.

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