PACKAGED SNACKS
The packaged snacks most prized by visitors are clear — Koh Kae peanuts, Pretz “Larb” flavour biscuit sticks, Bento seafood snacks and Tao Kae Noi seaweed.
Produced by the Mae Ruay Snack Factory group, Koh Kae peanuts have been around for over 40 years. Sales figures attest to its popularity, exceeding 2 billion baht last year. Around 20% of its production is exported, with China being its largest overseas market. Today, it offers over 50 peanut flavours, including tom yum, coffee and wasabi. At department stores are where you can see tourists carting around dozens of Koh Kae cans.
Pretz is a stick biscuit brand produced by Japanese company Glico. In Thailand, however, the local larb flavour has gained something of a cult following.
The spicy minced pork flavour from the Northeast is a hit among Chinese and Japanese tourists. This led Glico to launch the larb flavoured biscuit sticks at home in Japan, although the taste is reportedly much milder than the Thai take.
Then you have Tao Kae Noi, a seasoned seaweed brand, well known in part due to the life story of its founder Itthipat Peeradechapan, serving as inspiration for the film The Billionaire.
Finally, Bento, a crispy squid snack, is popular among Chinese and Korean tourists due to its hot taste.
Some 7-Eleven branches found in tourist areas have a designated shelf for Chinese customers, where all the favourite products are placed together for maximum convenience.