"One Meal War" Dongwon F&B Enters Premium Korean Food 'Yangban' Soup and Stew Market... Aiming for 100 Billion KRW

Cut heat treatment time by over 20% with new advanced special equipment while maintaining taste and texture
Complete authentic Korean meal with Yangban brand through launch of 'Yangban Guktang Jjigae'
Aiming at 5 trillion market... 50 billion sales this year, 100 billion target for 2022

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] Dongwon F&B is strengthening its home meal replacement (HMR) business by making a full-scale entry into the soup, stew, and broth market with its premium Korean food brand ‘Yangban.’ To make a decisive move in the HMR market, which is expected to reach 5 trillion won, the company is expanding its product lineup for a perfect ‘full Korean table setting.’

◆ Facility Investment... Products Highlighting Taste and Texture = On the 20th, Dongwon F&B announced the launch of 14 types of HMR products in convenient pouch form under the ‘Yangban Soup, Stew, and Broth’ line. ‘Yangban Soup, Stew, and Broth’ embodies the Yangban brand philosophy that ‘the ingredients must be alive for the taste to come alive,’ by carefully selecting natural ingredients and cooking them in a traditional cauldron method to capture the deep flavors of authentic Korean cuisine. It is characterized by preserving the original taste and texture of the ingredients while harmonizing each component.

To produce ‘Yangban Soup, Stew, and Broth,’ Dongwon F&B invested 40 billion won in new advanced special equipment on a 3,000-pyeong site at its Gwangju factory. This investment shortened the heat treatment time by more than 20% compared to previous methods, preserving the original taste and texture of the ingredients. Until now, commercial soups, stews, and broths had limitations where prolonged heat exposure during production softened the texture of ingredients and darkened the broth color, resulting in a dull taste. However, Dongwon F&B overcame these limitations by reducing heat treatment time through new equipment.

‘Yangban Soup, Stew, and Broth’ is a product that allows consumers to easily enjoy broth dishes that are usually cumbersome to prepare; it can be completed by heating in a microwave or boiling in a pot for just five minutes. Made using the ‘traditional cauldron method,’ where all ingredients are cooked together without separately heating each one, it offers a deep broth flavor and excellent ingredient texture. The pouch packaging also makes storage and portability convenient.

The newly introduced ‘Yangban Soup, Stew, and Broth’ line consists of a rich variety of 14 types: 6 stews, 5 jjigae (stews), and 3 soups. Key products include ‘Whole Tuna Kimchi Jjigae,’ which contains whole sashimi-grade tuna in a refreshing tuna broth; ‘Beef Brisket Yukgaejang,’ packed with plenty of brisket in a richly boiled brisket broth; and ‘Korean Beef Bone Seolleongtang,’ featuring abundant beef in a rich Korean beef bone broth.

Dongwon F&B plans to achieve sales of 50 billion won for ‘Yangban Soup, Stew, and Broth’ this year and grow the product line to a scale of 100 billion won by 2022, coinciding with its entry into the soup and stew market.

A Dongwon F&B official explained, “Based on 35 years of tradition and know-how, we will continue to protect the intrinsic value of Korean cuisine while flexibly responding to rapidly changing HMR trends and continuously launching new products that reflect consumer needs.”

According to the ‘2019 Processed Food Submarket Status Report’ by the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT), the domestic HMR market size was estimated to approach 4 trillion won last year and is expected to exceed 5 trillion won by 2022.

◆ A Complete Table Setting with Only Yangban = Dongwon F&B’s ‘Yangban’ is Korea’s first premium Korean food HMR brand with 35 years of tradition, preserving the unique traditions of Korean cuisine while adding the value of convenience. Dongwon F&B holds the philosophy that no matter how times change, the Korean table always starts with rice, gim (seaweed), and kimchi. Following Yangban Gim, Yangban Juk (porridge), and Yangban Kimchi, the company recently launched Yangban Soup, Stew, and Broth to continue upholding the value of Korean cuisine.

‘Yangban Gim,’ the country’s leading seasoned seaweed brand, has been loved for 35 years. It is actively exported worldwide, especially to Japan, and recently expanded its consumer base by targeting millennials with ‘Newtro’ (new + retro) style marketing, leading the demand for gim.

Yangban Juk is a porridge brand with 29 years of tradition since its launch in 1992. It has held the number one market share for 20 years since 2001. Yangban Juk is a convenient porridge product that can be enjoyed as a hearty meal anytime and anywhere. It is made using the traditional cauldron method, where all ingredients are added and stirred together while boiling, resulting in rich taste and nutrition.

Since 1995, Dongwon F&B has been producing Yangban Kimchi, with researchers from the Dongwon Food Science Research Institute, established in 1992, continuously striving for 26 years to maintain the fresh and crisp taste of kimchi. They sell various types such as napa cabbage kimchi, young radish kimchi, mustard leaf kimchi, and stir-fried kimchi. The flagship product, ‘Yangban Premium Kimchi,’ uses only 100% domestic first-grade ingredients such as top-quality napa cabbage and first-grade red pepper powder from Yeongyang, Gyeongbuk, and is richly garnished with five toppings including pear, jujube, pine nuts, chestnuts, and sesame seeds, offering a deeper flavor.

A Dongwon F&B official emphasized, “‘Yangban’ is Korea’s first premium Korean food brand with 35 years of tradition, having consecutively launched Yangban Gim in 1986, Yangban Juk in 1992, and Yangban Kimchi in 1995, taking responsibility for the tastes of domestic consumers. With the launch of ‘Yangban Soup, Stew, and Broth,’ we have completed a full Korean meal table setting using only Yangban brand products.”

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