Hetbahn, 9 Units Consumed Per Person Nationwide Last Year... Cumulative Sales Reach 3 Trillion Won

‘Hetban’ Surpasses 3 Billion Units Sold... Unchallenged No.1 in Instant Rice Market
Sterile Packaging Rice Production, Advanced Packaging, Same-day Self-Milling System

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] CJ CheilJedang’s ‘Hetbahn,’ the leading instant rice brand in Korea, continues its growth by solidifying its undisputed number one position.

CJ CheilJedang announced on the 27th that Hetbahn surpassed a total cumulative sales of 3 trillion KRW and cumulative sales volume of 3 billion units as of the end of last year. The amount of Hetbahn sold over 23 years, if lined up side by side, could circle the Earth approximately 10 times with a circumference of 40,192 km, and the total amount of rice used nearly reaches 4 million sacks. (One sack of rice = 755 Hetbahn units)

Launched in December 1996, Hetbahn has led the growth of the domestic instant rice market with double-digit growth rates every year. In 2019 alone, it recorded sales of 486 billion KRW (consumer price equivalent), a 15% increase from the previous year, selling a total of 455 million units. This means that each Korean consumed about 9 Hetbahn units per year. Considering the continuous growth trend, Hetbahn is expected to become a super mega brand exceeding 500 billion KRW this year.

Supported by its sales performance, Hetbahn continues to lead market growth as the undisputed number one in the ambient instant rice market. According to Nielsen Korea, Hetbahn’s market share was 71% last year. The instant rice market size last year was 392 billion KRW, showing about 7% growth compared to 365.6 billion KRW in 2018. This indicates that Hetbahn is driving the overall growth of the instant rice market.

This achievement is attributed to Hetbahn firmly establishing itself not as an ‘emergency meal’ sought in urgent situations but as an ‘everyday meal’ that can be conveniently and deliciously enjoyed anytime. In an era when the concept of ‘buying cooked rice’ did not even exist, it quickly read social changes such as the increase in nuclear families and dual-income households and the spread of microwave ovens, and proactively invested in technology development. In this regard, its outstanding R&D capabilities and innovative technologies have been the driving force behind changes in the nation’s eating habits.

Hetbahn’s representative R&D innovative technologies include ‘aseptic packaged rice manufacturing technology,’ ‘state-of-the-art packaging technology,’ and ‘same-day self-milling system.’ The aseptic packaged rice manufacturing technology involves packaging rice in sterilized packaging materials within a cleanroom environment comparable to semiconductor processing. The rice surface microorganisms are sterilized with high-temperature, high-pressure steam, and through a perfectly sealed aseptic process that blocks microorganisms, the rice can be stored at room temperature for 9 months without preservatives while maintaining fresh taste.

Hetbahn is also differentiated by its state-of-the-art packaging technology. Since the taste of rice changes depending on the packaging, the rice container is made of triple-layer material, and the lid film (vinyl cover) uses a quadruple-layer special film. The key is to completely block oxygen and microorganisms, resist temperature and humidity effects, and be harmless to the human body. The container and lid film materials are made of polypropylene, which is globally verified for safety and also used in baby bottles, allowing consumption without concerns about environmental hormone emissions during cooking.

Hetbahn’s unique same-day self-milling system is one of the core technologies that realize the ‘freshly cooked rice taste.’ Rice quality begins to deteriorate from the moment it is milled, causing a decline in taste, but Hetbahn is the only brand in Korea that has introduced its own rice milling facility to cook rice using rice milled on the same day. This self-milling facility not only enhances taste quality but also performs customized milling according to the type and characteristics of the rice. The quality of the same rice varies every year depending on cultivation and storage conditions.

To celebrate the 24th anniversary of Hetbahn’s launch this year, CJ CheilJedang will introduce a limited edition product called ‘Nemo Hetbahn,’ a set of 24 square containers, at Homeplus. Although the round shape is the signature form associated with Hetbahn, this product was prepared based on the fact that the initial launch used square containers. Since the round container Hetbahn was launched in 2001, both shapes have been produced in parallel, but due to the overwhelming demand for round Hetbahn, production of square containers will be discontinued after this limited edition product.

Shin Su-jin, head of the Hetbahn Innovation Team at CJ CheilJedang, said, “Hetbahn is a representative ambient HMR product that integrates food-related R&D technologies such as safety, convenience, freshly cooked rice taste, and top quality. As a national representative brand that has consistently brought changes to the lifestyle trends of the people for 23 years and received steady love, we will continue to introduce new products that meet diverse consumer needs and devote ourselves to ongoing research and development.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.