CJ CheilJedang Targets Global Market with Kimchi Sauce for Foodservice Businesses

Patent-pending CJ New Fermentation Technology
Diverse Menu Applications in Overseas Foodservice, Catering, and Hotels
Business Expansion Driven by Newly Established Global B2B Organization

CJ CheilJedang is introducing a business-to-business (B2B) sauce based on kimchi, Korea's traditional fermented food, to overseas markets.

On August 28, CJ CheilJedang announced that it will begin distributing its "All-purpose Kimchi Cooking Sauce," which allows for easy and convenient kimchi cooking, to 12 countries including European nations starting early next month. The company plans to target the global B2B market with this cooking sauce product, which can be used to make a variety of kimchi-flavored dishes such as kimchi fried rice and kimchi burritos.

Universal Kimchi Cooking Sauce Global Promotion Image.
Photo by CJ CheilJedang

The export destinations include the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Brazil, Chile, Uzbekistan, and Guam, among others. Kimchi-flavored dishes are expected to be served primarily at local Asian and ethnic restaurants. The "All-purpose Kimchi Cooking Sauce" has been strategically launched first for the global B2B market. A CJ CheilJedang representative stated, "We aim to penetrate overseas markets with authentic Korean cuisine and kimchi dishes based on traditional Korean food," adding, "By incorporating these products into main and side dishes at local foodservice, catering, and hotel businesses with a high rate of K-food experience, we plan to become more familiar to consumers."

Kimchi has started to attract attention in the global food ingredient market for its healthy flavor from fermentation and its refreshing, tangy taste. However, challenges such as aging, changes in flavor, and the inconvenience of distribution and storage have limited its mainstream adoption globally. The "All-purpose Kimchi Cooking Sauce" stands out for its stable flavor quality and versatility, utilizing CJ's proprietary new fermentation technology. By controlling the fermentation process after adding ingredients, the sauce maintains the unique refreshing taste and flavor of well-fermented kimchi, ensures consistent quality, and can be distributed at room temperature for up to 18 months. This technology was patented at the end of last month.

According to Euromonitor, the global food service (B2B) market was valued at approximately 4,500 trillion won last year, having grown by about 40% over the past five years. The market becomes even larger when including other channels such as school, military, and hospital catering. Within this, the category that includes Asian cuisine has been growing by double digits annually.

At the end of last year, CJ CheilJedang established a dedicated global B2B organization and has been aggressively expanding its related business. In the first half of this year, the company expanded its B2B business overseas by introducing the Choco Churros dessert, previously supplied to McDonald's Korea, to McDonald's Hong Kong. Additionally, CJ CheilJedang has been actively advancing its business by supplying kimchi broth and kimchi bibim noodles using the "All-purpose Kimchi Cooking Sauce" to Chinese malatang franchise Yang Guo Fu and multinational food and beverage group Tingyi Group, as well as proposing a variety of Korean dishes to Korean restaurants in Europe and Asia. The company plans to further expand Korean kimchi menus to the Americas, Oceania, and other regions worldwide.