The Jila range of gum and mints will soon roll onto the shelves of 16,500 stores across major South Korean retail chains CU Convenience and Olive Young.
Ballarat food manufacturer Ferndale Foods Australia is expanding its international reach, with its Jila gum and mint range rolling onto the shelves of 16,500 stores across major South Korean retail chains CU Convenience and Olive Young.
Olive Young is a cosmetics, health and beauty product company, while CU Convenience is a convenience store chain owned and operated by BGF Retail.
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The launch into South Korea is just the beginning for the brand, with the international rollout for Jila far from over.
A further 11,000 CU Convenience and Olive Young stores are expected to begin stocking Jila products during the first quarter of 2027, which could potentially take the brand’s retail presence to around 27,500 outlets across South Korea.
For Ferndale Foods Australia, the expansion marks a significant milestone for the family-owned business, founded by Bruce Edward in 1995.
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The brand has been experiencing growing demand across its gum, mint and healthy snacking operations and is continuing to invest in regional Victorian manufacturing.
According to the National Confectioners Association’s inaugural Getting to know gum and mint consumers 2025 report, gum and mints together account for 13% of all confectionery sales. Total gum and mint sales are projected to reach $6.7 billion by 2030, an increase of nearly $1 billion.
A new chapter for Ferndale Foods Australia
Ferndale Foods Australia operations manager Leigh Edward said launching the Jila in a market like South Korea is a major breakthrough for the brand.
“South Korea has a population of ~50 million people, with over 55,000 convenience stores,” he said.
“Therefore, the ability to access 50 million new customers through such an extensive network of retailers is game changing for the brand. We aim to have 27,500 distribution points in Korea by the end of June 2027.”
Approximately 18 months ago, Ferndale invested $1 million into expanding its mint production and a further $3 million state-of-the-art packing line is scheduled for installation in early 2027, increasing capacity in the operation fivefold.
The brand employs approximately 100 people across its Ballarat operations and remains committed to building its manufacturing future in regional Victoria.
Ferndale has also invested $23 million in the healthy snacking bar sector via its subsidiary FoodLine Australia, which is forecast to produce more than 55 million bars in 2027 for some of the world’s biggest brands.
The focus for the next 12 months
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When asked about the company’s further expansion plans, Edward said Ferndale’s focus will shift from distribution to communication and marketing the brand to the Korean customers.
“Getting the products ranged in-store is only the first step – we now need to focus our time and investment into telling the Korean people about Jila,” he said.
“It is a cutthroat market, so we want to ensure that Jila becomes embedded in Korea as the mint brand of choice.”
Edward said after 31 years in the market, it is refreshing when significant new opportunities come along.
“As a result of our early success in Korea, we are now fielding enquiries from Japan, Singapore and the Middle East,” he said.