CU Launches 'Jeju Chamjogi Set Meal' Lunchbox in Collaboration with 'Matnam's Plaza'

Despite a good catch, demand from existing sales channels sharply declines, causing a surge in chamjori stock
Side dishes include Dwaeji Bulgogi, Spring Dongnamul Salad, and Dried Seaweed Salad

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-sun] CU announced on the 10th that it will collaborate with the popular variety show ‘Matnam-ui Gwangjang’ to launch the industry's first convenience store lunchbox featuring grilled Jeju chamjogi (yellow croaker), called the 'Jeju Chamjogi Jeongsik' lunchbox.

In the previous broadcast, the difficult situation of Jeju chamjogi fishermen was introduced, who could not smile despite a bountiful catch for the first time in nine years. Due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, demand from traditional sales channels such as school meals and restaurants sharply declined, resulting in thousands of tons of frozen chamjogi piling up in cold storage. In particular, yellow croaker was not utilized because of the perception that it is an expensive fish. Unlike the large yellow croaker used as gifts, the relatively smaller yellow croaker mainly used in school meals and restaurants urgently needed new sales channels.

CEO Baek Jong-won, after hearing about the hardships of the fishermen and aiming to break the perception that yellow croaker is expensive and find a way for the public to widely enjoy it, proposed to CU a convenience store lunchbox using yellow croaker based on the successful sales experience of duck lunchboxes.

CU began developing a product using freshly caught and rapidly frozen yellow croaker to preserve its freshness. Although various grilled fish lunchboxes such as mackerel pike and mackerel have been released at convenience stores, this is the first product to use grilled yellow croaker.

The newly released ‘Jeju Chamjogi Jeongsik’ lunchbox is made by frying fresh yellow croaker immediately and then marinating it in soy sauce with a touch of vinegar to reduce the soggy texture and smell of the fish while enhancing the natural sweetness and umami of the chamjogi meat. The side dishes include pork bulgogi, seasoned spring greens, and seasoned dried seaweed. The price is 4,900 won.

Meanwhile, since the release of the first collaboration product with ‘Matnam-ui Gwangjang,’ the apple pie, in October last year, 10 tons of apples from the Chongnam region were sold out within a month. The second collaboration product using duck, the ‘Uri Ori Deok Jeongsik’ lunchbox, also used about 40 tons of duck meat and surpassed cumulative sales of 150,000 units.

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