Green onion-flavored cereal: 'consumer-powered' product goes viral in Korea

Green onion-flavored cereal from Kellogg. Courtesy of the company

By Park Si-soo

A wacky cereal is going viral in South Korea: a green onion-flavored limited edition of Chex.

Powerful YouTubers and social media influencers have churned out content giving a hint of the unprecedented taste. This has set off an online frenzy of trend-sensitive consumers in their teens and 20s who want to taste it as early as possible, with the cereal's nationwide retail release set for July 1.

The cereal has been one of the most searched keywords on major portals here for days, during which online posts about the cereal have soared.

"A 200:1 competition rate in recruiting taste reviewers reflects the huge expectations people have for the product and its unique taste," said Suh Ji-hye, a marketing manager at Kellogg Korea.

The taste is not the only thing making the product unique. The "consumer-powered" process for the product to see the light of day makes it more special.

In 2004, Kellogg ran an online poll to get fresh ideas on new cereal products ― then came an outpouring of support for green onion flavor.

"It was something unheard of," an official said. "We were skeptical of making a cereal with the taste in the first place. But we made it after all, to show our respect for the support that people gave us 16 years ago."

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