Should I Make Kimchi or Not... 'Gimpojok' Kimchi-Making Worries End

Homeplus PB 'Signature Kimchi' Manufactured at Ourhome Jecheon Factory

18,500 Heads Produced in October Alone
Hygiene Inspections at Every Process
Experienced Workers Directly Check for Foreign Substances
Packaging After Passing Heavy Metal Detectors

Indoor Temperature Controlled in Each Area
Seasonal Variation in Seasoning Ratios
Maintaining Taste... Prices Reduced by 30%
Monthly Average Sales of 46 Tons... 74% Growth

On the 13th, workers at Ourhome Jecheon Factory located in Jecheon, Chungbuk, are mixing seasoning into the napa cabbage used for pogi kimchi. (Photo by Homeplus)

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Although the full-fledged kimchi-making season has arrived in November, the so-called 'Gimpo-jok'?people who give up making kimchi?are increasing. Although the price of napa cabbage, which surged due to the longest rainy season last summer, has stabilized, the cost of making kimchi remains unpredictable as the price of red pepper powder has risen about 40% compared to last year this month. As a result, the number of consumers seeking packaged kimchi at large supermarkets has significantly increased. This is because, while the price fluctuations of kimchi ingredients are large, packaged kimchi offers price stability, making it more economical than making kimchi at home and allowing consumers to easily enjoy a variety of kimchi types.

Popularity of Packaged Kimchi, Factory Operating Rate at 100%

On the 13th, the Ourhome kimchi specialty factory in Jecheon, Chungbuk, was operating nonstop, reflecting the recent surge in demand for packaged kimchi. The Jecheon factory, covering 22,000㎡ (about 6,655 pyeong), produced 18,500 heads of Homeplus's 'Signature Kimchi' last month alone, operating at nearly 100% capacity. Established in 2014 as a dedicated kimchi manufacturing plant, the Jecheon factory produces about 30 types of kimchi products, including young radish kimchi, young summer radish kimchi, seasoned kimchi, mixed kimchi, and cubed radish kimchi. Its daily production capacity reaches 50 tons. It boasts the best raw material supply through contract farming as well as the industry's top logistics infrastructure.

The Jecheon kimchi factory prioritizes taste and hygiene above all. The production process follows the order of 'pre-treatment?salting?washing?sorting?seasoning and packaging,' with hygiene inspections included at each stage.

In the pre-treatment process, where napa cabbage is cut and sorted, attention is drawn to the cabbage core removal machine developed in-house by Ourhome. The cabbages transported on a conveyor belt undergo a first foreign substance inspection by workers before being fed into the core removal equipment, which removes the core and divides the cabbage into three parts in less than a second. The cut cabbage then passes through a 'vibrating sieve' that removes foreign substances by vibration and undergoes a second hygiene inspection.

In the salting process, napa cabbage used for 'seasoned kimchi' is salted for 1 to 1.5 hours, while cabbage for whole-head kimchi is salted for 24 hours. Considering that the taste of cabbage changes with the weather and the cabbage production area shifts with the seasons, the brine concentration and salting time are finely adjusted daily. These efforts ensure a consistent taste.

Only skilled workers who understand the entire kimchi manufacturing process and have passed vision and color blindness tests are assigned to this process. They visually inspect and sort the washed cabbage for foreign substances. Although the cabbage quickly passes on the conveyor belt and is salted and washed, making small foreign substances invisible to the average eye, more than 2,000 foreign substances are sorted out monthly.

Workers at Ourhome Jecheon factory are conducting a 'sorting process' to remove foreign substances from washed napa cabbage.

Meticulous Temperature Control and Adding the 'Hand Taste'

At the Jecheon factory, spaces are strictly divided by process, and indoor temperatures are set individually to maximize the kimchi's flavor and prevent taste changes. Upon entering the seasoning and packaging area, the temperature was so low that white breath was visible. The seasoning mixing process is performed manually by workers to embody the 'hand taste,' and only skilled workers participate to maintain consistent flavor. The seasoning mix ratio varies by season, a know-how that ensures consistent taste regardless of the season. Kimchi mixed with seasoning passes through an X-ray detector that identifies foreign substances such as heavy metals before entering the final packaging stage.

Last year, Homeplus partnered with the comprehensive food company Ourhome to launch the private brand (PB) 'Signature Kimchi,' which reduces distribution steps. The price was lowered by more than 30% compared to general packaged kimchi products, and the product line expanded to 11 types, from whole-head kimchi to freshly harvested kimchi. From August to the 10th of this month, sales of Signature Kimchi increased by 74% compared to the same period last year, with an average monthly sales volume of 46 tons.

A Homeplus official explained, "The popularity of Signature Kimchi, which combines taste and hygiene with Ourhome, is increasing every year. Packaged kimchi is gaining more attention amid the growing number of Gimpo-jok and the delayed kimchi-making season, and recently, purchases by not only younger generations but also middle-aged and older consumers have been increasing annually."

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