Korean Bakery Staple Boreumdal Enters 400 U.S. Costco Stores

Samlip is taking one of its longest-running products into American warehouse aisles. The South Korean bakery brand announced on November 21 that Boreumdal, its signature cream-filled snack cake, will be sold at about 400 Costco locations across more than 50 U.S. states.

The product, which marks its 50th anniversary this year, pairs a soft sponge cake with sweet cream filling. For the U.S. rollout, Samlip is keeping the original Korean name on the packaging through a "Borumdal" logo, with the descriptor "Strawberry Fullmoon Chiffon Cake" printed alongside it to orient American shoppers. "Boreumdal" literally means full moon in Korean, and the English wording leans into that translation rather than rebranding the product outright.

The initial export volume is 11.75 million packs — 21 times the first shipment of Samlip Cheesecake, which entered Costco last year. Samlip said local buyers have responded positively, citing the cake's restrained sweetness and soft texture as a fit for both children's snacks and pairing with coffee. The company plans to run in-store sampling events at Costco locations to coincide with the launch.

The Boreumdal deal builds directly on the cheesecake's performance. Released at U.S. Costco in September 2024 and made with a Korean-style steaming process that gives it a moist texture, Samlip Cheesecake gained traction on local social media and sold roughly 560,000 packs within three weeks of hitting shelves. Samlip later shipped an additional 10 million packs, and sales have grown to more than 18 times the initial figure.

"We're glad to see a meaningful export result in the year that marks Boreumdal's 50th anniversary," a Samlip representative said. "We will continue to expand exports through active entry into global markets and further raise the standing of K-bakery in the world market."

Boreumdal has been a fixture of the Korean snack-cake category since its launch, when early demand reached 10,000 boxes a day. Over the past half-century, Samlip has kept refreshing the product to keep pace with shifting consumer habits, including the introduction of collectible "ttibu" stickers featuring its rabbit mascot, Boreumi.

The Costco rollout positions Boreumdal as the next test of how far a long-running Korean grocery staple can travel on the same K-bakery interest that has already moved Samlip's cheesecake into American carts.