Orion (271560.KS) is expanding production facilities for its Custard cake as demand grows at home and abroad, adding new lines in South Korea, Vietnam and India. More than three-quarters of the product's sales came from overseas markets last year.
Orion said on the 22nd that it has raised global production capacity for Custard to as much as 300 billion won ($208 million) a year. That is roughly double the 154 billion won in global sales the brand recorded last year.
The company added a domestic production line in September and recently began operating new facilities in Vietnam and India. The move is aimed at meeting rising demand both in South Korea and overseas.
Combined domestic and overseas sales of Custard reached 154 billion won last year, up 14% from a year earlier. Overseas markets including China, Vietnam and India accounted for 76% of that total. Overseas sales from January through September this year also maintained double-digit growth.
First launched in South Korea in May 2004, Custard is a cake filled with custard cream. Orion has expanded its overseas sales footprint by developing products tailored to local tastes and food cultures, led by the global research center at its Korean headquarters.
In Vietnam, the lineup has been diversified beyond the original version to include a product made with com, a local traditional ingredient of young glutinous rice, as well as tiramisu, raspberry, egg lava, reduced-sugar and melon varieties. In China, the company is marketing the product on the combination of soft cake and cream. In India, it is building a presence with premium products aimed at young dessert consumers in large cities.
Custard has also established itself as a leading semi-moist cake product in South Korea. It ranked first in semi-moist cake market share within the biscuit and cake category in the 2025 retail index service survey by market researcher NielsenIQ Korea.
Orion is also investing in other production facilities. In South Korea, it is building the Jincheon integrated center with an investment of 460 billion won, targeting completion in the second half of next year, and it is also constructing a new plant building in Tver, Russia.
An Orion official said Custard "is growing into a global pie brand to follow Choco Pie," adding that the company "has expanded production capacity in line with surging global demand and will develop it into a world-class brand."