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By now, everyone knows of Pocky; those chocolate sticks made popular by the Japanese snack conglomerate Glico. But did you know that it's been over 50 years since Ezaki Glico first released them in Japan? Here's the history behind everyone's favorite Japanese souvenir.
Ezaki Glico first released Pocky Chocolate in 1966.
Pocky was popular right off the bat,but in response to requests for flavors other than chocolate, we introduced Pocky Almond,which went on sale in 1971.
In 1976, we further expanded the range with Pocky Strawberry, which differed in size and price.
Product development based on a close analysis of customer data led to the creation of Pocky Bitter, which was strongly targeted at men, and Little Pocky, a shorter and handier variety aimed at young women.
In the late 1980s, demand among housewives and unmarried women for "just a small amount of sweet things" began to become apparent. It was against this backdrop that Almond Crush Pocky, with its topping of large crushed almonds, and other Pocky products with high added value went on sale.
Generale Biscuit Glico France S.A. established in 1982. This provided the foothold for our entry into the European market. Currently in Europe, we have sales in the Benelux countries, Italy, Spain, the UK, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Greece and Portugal.
We held tastings, which were very well received, and for this reason we moved into the Canadian market. Pocky and other goods produced in Japan and Thailand are sold by Glico Canada. By now they have become common snacks in Canada.
In the 1990s, several Pocky varieties with high added value came out one after the other: Chunky Strawberry Pocky, with its topping of freeze-dried strawberry, Marble Pocky with its delectable-looking marble design, and more.
Having sold too many, supply was unable to keep up with demand, and we stopped selling them. This massive boom was inspired by Mousse Pocky. By 2003 we had sold Normal, White, Strawberry and Matcha, among several other varieties. On top of that, Pocky Decorer, which acquired the friendly nickname "Gorgeous Pocky", was also born during this period.
Ezaki Glico USA Co., Ltd. was established in California in 2003. It sells confectioneries, etc. such as Pocky and Pretz.
By the late 2000s, a trend among customers to reevaluate original Pocky (the so-called "Red Box") had become apparent. Here at Glico, we have decided to refocus our product line to place a greater emphasis on the classic "Red Box" variety. This is reflected in Pocky's core value "Share Happiness!"
PT. Glico Indonesia was established in South Jakarta in 2014. It sells confectioneries, etc. such as Pocky and Pretz.
