CJ CheilJedang Expands 'Bibigo Jumeokbap' Lineup

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] CJ CheilJedang has expanded its Bibigo rice ball lineup and is working to grow the frozen rice market.

CJ CheilJedang announced on the 6th that it has launched two new rice ball products: ‘Bibigo Cheese Dakgalbi Rice Ball’ and ‘Bibigo Jeonju Bibim Rice Ball.’

‘Bibigo Jeonju Bibim Rice Ball’ is a product that harmoniously combines various vegetables such as beef, bean sprouts, shiitake mushrooms, and spicy gochujang seasoning. ‘Bibigo Cheese Dakgalbi Rice Ball’ is filled with spicy dakgalbi and mozzarella cheese. With the release of these new products, the Bibigo rice ball lineup now includes five varieties: the existing ‘Kimchi Cheese Rice Ball,’ ‘Bulgogi Rice Ball,’ and ‘Butter Jangjorim Rice Ball.’

In the Bibigo frozen rice lineup, fried rice is mainly favored as a meal, while the triangular-shaped rice balls are preferred as snacks or light meals. In fact, since its launch in December 2019, Bibigo rice balls have recorded cumulative sales of approximately 65 billion KRW and cumulative sales volume of about 4 million packs over 17 months until April this year.

They are especially popular among households with elementary school children, with sales from January to April this year tripling compared to the same period last year, showing continued growth. The proportion of rice balls in total Bibigo frozen rice sales is also increasing. From 15% of sales at the early stage of launch, it has risen to 50% this year, reaching a level similar to the sales of the existing steady seller, Bibigo fried rice.

Bibigo rice balls are also driving overall growth in the frozen rice market. According to Nielsen Korea, the frozen rice market grew from 82.5 billion KRW in 2017 to 91.5 billion KRW in 2018, then slightly declined to 88.8 billion KRW in 2019. However, last year, with the increase in ‘home meal’ consumers and the growth of Bibigo rice balls, the market expanded again to 109.1 billion KRW.

A CJ CheilJedang official said, “Bibigo rice balls are products that secure taste quality based on differentiated technology and professional chef recipes,” adding, “We will expand the portfolio focusing on frequently consumed menus to diversify consumer choices and grow the market.”

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