[Report] Shin Dong-bin's 'One Lotte' Bears First Fruit... The 'Cooler' Selreim

First Outcome After Chairman Shin Dong-bin's "One Lotte" Declaration

Seolleim Transforms from 135kg Block Ice Crushed by Hand to Full Automation

A Nonstop Process from Ice-Making to Blending

"Ultra-Fine Ice Maximizes Refreshment"

The country's first pouch-type ice cream, Selreim, has evolved to the next level. Since its launch in 2003, Selreim has sold approximately 1.5 billion units. By introducing ultra-fine ice particles, it has been reborn as Selreim Coolish, a drinkable slush-style ice cream. While the original Selreim emphasized smoothness, Selreim Coolish’s strength lies in delivering both a smooth texture and the refreshing sensation of ice. After test-launching the vanilla flavor last year, Selreim Coolish has expanded its lineup since May to include Belgian chocolate and melon soda flavors.

The Lotte Wellfood Yangsan Plant, which was visited on July 3, serves as a global forward base for the Korea-Japan 'One Lotte' strategy promoted by Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin. During the One Lotte strategy meeting held in Warsaw, Poland, in 2024, Chairman Shin declared the joint development of global brands and called for expanded cooperation between food affiliates in Korea and Japan. As the first result of this initiative, Selreim Coolish was created by combining the proven blend ratio of 'Coolish,' the best-selling ice cream brand at Lotte Japan, with the new ice-making technology of the Lotte Wellfood Yangsan Plant, thus tailoring the product to the tastes of global consumers.

On this day, Plant Manager Choi Myung-wan explained, "Whereas the original Selreim involved purchasing and crushing ice before mixing, the most distinctive feature of Selreim Coolish is that the ice is produced in-house," adding, "To put it simply, everything from crushing to blending is done within a water purifier that produces ice."

He further stated, "Previously, there were concerns about ice quality, management, and the risk of safety accidents, but with the newly introduced equipment, purified water is immediately turned into ice of the desired size without human contact." He added, "By maintaining the ultra-fine ice particles without clumping, the refreshing sensation has been enhanced."

Ice flakes produced by the advanced ice-making equipment from the German company 'Ziegra', introduced by Lotte Wellfood last year. Provided by Lotte Wellfood.

Last year, Lotte Wellfood introduced advanced ice-making equipment from the German company Ziegra. The main feature of this equipment is its sealed structure, which is not exposed to external environments, enabling the continuous production of approximately 19.8 tons of ice per day. Purified water is supplied directly to the ice-making machine, rapidly frozen, and then ice maintained at minus 0.5 degrees Celsius is scraped out by a screw, enabling uniform, continuous production of ice pieces of consistent size. Currently, the Yangsan Plant is producing Selreim Coolish, Selreim, and 'Wa' using the new ice-making equipment.

Notably, the new ice-making equipment used to produce Selreim Coolish is massive, covering 50 square meters (about 15 pyeong), and automates all processes from ice-making, crushing, to mixing. Before this equipment was introduced, 135 kilograms of block ice had to be transported by refrigerated truck, stored in a cold warehouse, and then manually fed into a crusher for grinding. As a result, accidents such as slipping or tripping often occurred during transport, and there were frequent issues with the stability and quality of ice supply from manufacturers, especially during the summer peak season. However, since the introduction of the new ice-making equipment, it is now possible to produce the desired form of ice within just 30 minutes of preparation time.

The ice granules, which are mixed in a mixer after ice-making and crushing, are so fine that individual particles are nearly invisible. As they travel through the pipes, they are further finely crushed, and when Selreim Coolish is packed into pouches, the delicately shaved ice particles can be felt in the mouth, unlike the original Selreim. Currently, the Yangsan Plant produces 140 units of Selreim Coolish and 195 units of Selreim per minute.

Selreim Coolish and Selreim entering the rapid freezing room. Provided by Lotte Wellfood.

Selreim Coolish also applies micro-foaming technology, improving the cold sensation to the hand by nearly half. By creating an air layer between the inner and outer packaging and charging it with nitrogen, direct cold transmission to the hand is blocked. The One Lotte strategy was also applied to the package that eases the cold sensation. Although the original Selreim was a pouch-type ice cream, it was difficult to hold and eat for extended periods, which was a major drawback. Upon discovering that Lotte Japan had resolved this by using foamed material, Lotte Wellfood independently developed a foamed material technology that reduces cold conductivity by 48%. Both Selreim Coolish and Selreim have now been renewed with insulated pouches made of foamed material.

Plant Manager Choi said, "Among domestic ice cream companies, only Lotte Wellfood has large-scale equipment with both ice-making and precision crushing technologies. Although Selreim Coolish has yet to become mainstream, we plan to expand the product lineup with more flavors, and once Selreim Coolish is established, we are considering developing other products based on the new ice-making equipment."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.