HBAF Almonds: Everything You Need to Know About This Nutty South Korean Craze

If you have walked down the streets of Myeongdong in Seoul recently, there is no doubt that you have seen the vibrantly yellow-colored HBAF stores beckoning you in. This brand started out producing honey butter almonds, which have been a popular snack in Korea for many years, but in the past couple of years have evolved, introducing characters, new flavors of almonds, other nut mixes, and a variety of unique products, even opening a selection of flagship stores in the heart of Myeongdong!

Myeongdong has some super fun and colorful places to go shopping including Butter Shop and tons of places to eat in Myeongdong, so plan some time there and why not stock up on almonds.

If you’re visiting South Korea, here’s everything you need to know about HBAF and their popular honey butter almonds:

• What is HBAF?
  • What does HBAF Stand For?
  • Is HBAF Korean?
  • Why is HBAF so Popular?
• Where are the HBAF Flagship Stores?
• HBAF Products
  • What Flavors of Almonds Do HBAF Make?
  • What Other Products Does HBAF Sell?

(This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage of a sale if you purchase after clicking at no cost to you. Thank you for your support.)

---

What is HBAF?

You may have seen the brand’s flagship stores on a day out in Myeongdong, noticed their products in Korean convenience stores, or simply been recommended their products by a friend. But what exactly is HBAF?

What does HBAF Stand For?

HBAF, pronounced BAF (the H is silent) stands for ‘Healthy But Awesome Flavours’.

Many people assume it stands for ‘Honey Butter Almond and Friends’, but this was the name many English speakers used to refer to the flagship store in Myeongdong, which has since closed down.

The ‘Honey Butter Almond and Friends store’ was set up before HBAF was HBAF (the company was previously called Tom’s Farm) but they have since rebranded, and as such, the Honey Butter Almond Friends logo ‘HBAF’ became synonymous with the brand itself – Healthy But Awesome Flavours, HBAF!

Is HBAF Korean?

Whilst almonds are not grown in Korea, HBAF was the first company to ever import them into the country back in 1982, and soon had a monopoly over the almond products in South Korea.

HBAF is now the largest nut brand in Korea, and in recent years has been growing even more. After releasing their first honey butter product back in 2015, HBAF products quickly gained popularity, and it wasn’t long before their first flagship store opened in Myeongdong in 2019.

Why is HBAF so Popular?

With their original honey butter almonds gaining major popularity in South Korea, HBAF began releasing more and more products. Whilst they’re now infamous for their honey butter almonds, they have a large variety of flavored nut products, making them a hit as both a snack for Koreans and as a great souvenir for tourists to bring back home.

---

Where are the HBAF Flagship Stores?

There are now four main HBAF flagship stores, all located in the Myeongdong area, making the products a popular hit with tourists. 

The first of these stores is located directly outside Myeongdong subway station exit 6, the second is situated a little further down the same street, the third is just around the corner opposite Myeongdong station Exit 8, and the fourth is further down that street, sitting right on the road where the street food vendors set up.

If you’re not staying in Seoul, or aren’t planning on visiting Myeongdong, you can still purchase many HBAF products in convenience stores, supermarkets, snack shops, or even at pop-up stores in shopping centers.

---

HBAF Products

Whilst they’re known for their outstanding honey butter almonds, HBAF has produced a variety of different flavored almonds, both sweet and savory, as well as plenty of other snacks and tasty treats for you to enjoy.

What Flavors of Almonds Do HBAF Make?

If you’re looking to sample as many different flavors of almonds as possible, then HBAF has you covered, from try-before-you-buy samples in-store to selection packs including a huge variety of different flavors, there’s plenty of ways to discover the hidden gems HBAF has on offer.

Their flavors of almonds include:

What Other Products Does HBAF Sell?

Aside from a great range of delicious almonds, HBAF has a selection of other amazing products on sale also, including chickpeas, other varieties of nuts, and even makgeolli!

Other HBAF Products Include:

• Chickpeas
  • Garlic Bread Chickpeas
  • Roasted Onion Chickpeas
• Other Nuts
  • Hazelnut Bong Bong (with a creamy chocolate taste)
  • Honey Butter Peanuts
  • Roasted & Salted Peanuts
  • Wasabi Peanuts
  • Baked Corn Peanuts & Corn Fries (contains real crunchy corn kernels)
  • Caramel Salted Peanuts & Pretzels (contains mini pretzels)
  • Sichuan Peanuts & Corn Fries (contains real crunchy corn kernels)
  • Butter Coconut Peanuts

• Puffcorn Snacks
  • Nacho Cheese Flavor Balls
  • Corn Soup Flavor Balls
• Pretzels
  • Honey Butter Pretzels
  • Caramel Salted Pretzels
• Seaweed Chips
  • Honey Butter Seaweed Chip
  • Wasabi Seaweed Chip
  • Garlic Seaweed Chip
  • Salted Seaweed Chip
• Fish Snacks
  • Wasabi Mayo Alasa Fish Snack (made with Alaskan Pollack)
  • Deep Cheese Alaska Fish Snack (made with Alaskan Pollack)
  • Roasted Onion Alaska Fish Snack (made with Alaskan Pollack)
  • Anchovy Almonds (slightly salted almond and anchovy mix)
  • Roasted Onion Anchovy Almond (caramelized onion and black pepper flavor almond and anchovy mix)
  • Red Pepper Paste Anchovy Almond (spicy almond and anchovy mix made with Korean traditional chili sauce)

• Maltballs (crunchy and sweet in the center)
  • Cookie & Cream Maltball
  • Injeolmi Maltball
  • Starlight PangPang Maltball (contains popping candy)
  • Milk Coconut Maltball
  • Cherry Jubilee Maltball 
  • Tiramisu Maltball
  • Banana Maltball
  • Melon Maltball

• Daily Mixes
  • Monday (contains almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts, pistachios, and coconut chips)
  • Tuesday (contains almonds, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, and dried jujubes)
  • Wednesday (contains almonds, pecans, cashew nuts, brown rice, and dried blueberries)
  • Thursday (contains almonds, walnuts, lentils, pistachios, and dried cranberries)
  • Friday (contains almonds, cashew nuts, walnuts, chickpeas, and dried blueberries)
  • Saturday (contains almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts, raisins, and pumpkin seeds)
  • Sunday (contains almonds, pecans, walnuts, dried cranberries, and brown rice)
  • Daily Nuts Orange (contains almonds, walnuts, chickpeas, peanuts, and yogurt-coated cranberries)
  • Daily Nuts Pink (contains almonds, cashew nuts, walnuts, and yogurt-coated cranberries)
  • Daily Nuts Red (contains almonds, cashew nuts, walnuts, and dried cranberries)
  • Daily Nuts Blue (contains almonds, cashew nuts, walnuts, and dried blueberries)
  • Daily Nuts White (contains almonds, walnuts, cashew nuts, and macadamia nuts)
  • Daily Nuts Beige (contains almonds, cashew nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, and coconut chips)
  • Daily Nuts Brown (contains almonds, cashew nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, and slices of jujube)
  • Daily Nuts Purple (contains almonds, cashew nuts, walnuts, macadamia nuts, and dried blueberries)
  • Daily Nuts Black (contains almonds, cashew nuts, pecans, hazelnuts, and macadamia nuts)

• Classic Mixnut bags
  • Original Mixnut (classic nut selection)
  • Maple Pecan Mixnut (mixed nut selection with cranberries and a sweet maple syrup and cinnamon flavor)
  • Macadamia Herb Salt Mixnut (savory nut selection with basil pesto croutons)
  • Apple Cinnamon Mixnut (cinnamon flavored nut selection with dried apple and pretzel)
  • Triple Cheese Mixnut (savory nut selection with pretzels)
  • Snack Mixnut – Sweet & Salty (trail mix containing almonds, walnuts, peanuts, banana chips, seaweed snacks, and coffee)
  • Snack Mixnut – Salty & Savory (trail mix containing almonds, walnuts, salted peanuts, caramel-coated pretzels, and twists)
  • Snack Mixnut – Sweet & Crispy (trail mix containing almonds, walnuts, caramel-coated pretzels, banana chips, and coconut)
• Other products
  • Dried Persimmons
  • Honey Butter Makgeolli

If you’re looking to sample as many flavors as possible, or if you’re simply looking for a great choice of daily mixed nuts, HBAF also boasts a selection of different variety packs.

HBAF selection packs include:

• Mon To Sun 2 Weeks (14 packs with 7 different mixes – each of the daily mixes)
• Mon to Sun 4 Weeks (28 packs with 7 different mixes – each of the daily mixes)
• Mon to Sun 6 Weeks (42 packs with 7 different mixes – each of the daily mixes)
• HBAF Variety (11 flavors of almonds)
• HBAF Friends (6 flavors of almonds)
• HBAF Sweet (6 flavors of almonds)
• HBAF All In One (22 flavors of almonds)

---

Be sure to try some of these delicious almond snacks when you visit Korea, and bring plenty of the signature Honey Butter treats home for your family and friends to try too!

Did you like this post? Pin It!