Daesang Targets 400 Million Middle East Market with 'Cheongjeongwon' and 'Jonggajip' Brands

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Sunghye] Daesang has launched an attack on the Middle Eastern market with a population of 400 million, spearheaded by Cheongjeongwon and Jongga Jip.

Daesang announced on the 26th that fresh food products such as Jongga Jip kimchi, tofu, rice cakes, pickled radish, burdock, yubu sushi, and ssammu have been stocked and are being actively sold at a total of 21 stores including Carrefour, Lulu, Spar, and Monoprix, which are mainstream distribution channels in Qatar.

Daesang first began selling jang products (gochujang, doenjang, ssamjang) in 2009 at Lulu, becoming the first domestic food company to sell jang products overseas. To date, including the fresh foods recently stocked in Qatar, Daesang exports a total of 44 items such as jang, sauces, convenience foods, and seaweed products. In particular, Jongga Jip kimchi is sold with halal certification, meaning it is "permitted for use or consumption by Muslims," including whole cabbage kimchi, seasoned kimchi, young radish kimchi, and cubed radish kimchi.

In Iraq, ambient foods such as Jongga Jip canned kimchi, cup rice noodles, Cheongjeongwon jang products, curry, and seasoned seaweed have recently been stocked in local mainstream distribution channels in Kurdistan, including Carrefour, Majid Mall, and BRZ. Daesang plans to pioneer the market focusing on regions under local government jurisdictions that are flexible with imports and gradually expand within Iraq.

Besides Qatar and Iraq, Daesang is securing local partners centered on key channels in each country to enter Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, and others. Since there are not many Korean expatriates in the Middle East, the market is not just about exporting products but also about promoting Korean food culture. Based on the excellence of its products, Daesang plans to actively target the Middle Eastern market through tasting events for locals and menu proposals using its products.

A Daesang official said, "Although the K-food craze is gradually spreading worldwide, Korean food is still not well known in the Middle East compared to other regions, so it is a place that Korean food companies need to pioneer in the future," adding, "Once the COVID-19 situation settles, we plan to carry out marketing activities such as product launch events so that locals can directly experience and purchase the products."

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