60-Year-Old NongHyup Launches Ready Meals and Revamps Kimchi Business... Aiming for 'Transformation'

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] Marking its 60th anniversary, NongHyup is making a major transformation by newly entering the ready-to-eat meal business and integrating and reorganizing kimchi-related production facilities. The plan is to increase consumer touchpoints through finished products using domestic agricultural products and to pioneer sales channels for excellent agricultural products nationwide.

According to NongHyup Central Association on the 13th, to revitalize the consumption of agricultural and livestock products, NongHyup collaborated with The Born Korea, led by cooking researcher Baek Jong-won, to produce premium home meal replacements (HMR) such as bulgogi and Baek Ham fried rice as limited editions, which were launched the day before. The products released this time are home meal replacements made from carefully selected domestic agricultural and livestock products nationwide. NongHyup is responsible for product planning, raw material supply, and sales, while The Born Korea handles recipes and production.

This home meal replacement, applying Baek’s cooking methods to domestic agricultural and livestock products, is expected by NongHyup to receive great responses from consumers seeking convenient and safe food in busy daily lives, such as dual-income and single-person households. The product lineup consists of two types: bulgogi set and fried rice set. The bulgogi set uses fresh agricultural and livestock products from nine provinces nationwide, while the fried rice set uses high-quality domestic ingredients such as NongHyup Yeoju rice, Baek Ham made from pork hind leg, and kimchi. The two limited edition sets will be specially discounted and sold through NongHyup Mall, NongHyup Livly online mall, and major offline Hanaro Mart stores nationwide.

Through the integration and reorganization of kimchi factories, NongHyup is also strengthening its status as the 'Kimchi Origin Country.' NongHyup has been operating 12 kimchi factories nationwide certified by the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) since 1991. On the 9th, NongHyup announced that it signed a business agreement to integrate 10 kimchi factories operated by NongHyup in Jeongok, Buk Paju, Namyang in Gyeonggi Province; Suanbo in Chungbuk; Seondo and Cheonbuk in Chungnam; Bugwi in Jeonbuk; Suncheon and Yeosu in Jeonnam; and Ungcheon in Gyeongnam. The Daegwallyeong Horticultural NongHyup in Gangwon Province, a major production area for highland cabbage, supplies cabbage to these kimchi factory-operating NongHyups.

The main contents of this agreement include ▲ operation of an integrated promotion task force (TF) and preparation of detailed integration plans ▲ implementation of internal decision-making by participating NongHyups ▲ holding a general meeting of the integrated corporation. The attendees agreed to cooperate mutually for the successful establishment of the integrated NongHyup Kimchi cooperative corporation.

The integration of NongHyup’s kimchi factories responds to public interest in safe food triggered earlier this year by China’s claim to be the origin country of kimchi and videos showing unsanitary salted cabbage. It aims to revitalize NongHyup kimchi made safely and hygienically with 100% domestic agricultural products. After this business agreement, an integration promotion committee will be formed to prepare detailed plans, and the integrated cooperative corporation is scheduled to be established by the end of the year.

Lee Seong-hee, chairman of NongHyup Central Association, said, "Integrating kimchi factories nationwide, which have been operated under different conditions for 30 years, is by no means easy. By communicating and pooling wisdom, concentrating scattered capabilities in one place, and cooperating through company-wide support, we will realize a 100-year NongHyup together and enhance the status of the kimchi origin country." Regarding the launch of ready-to-eat meals, he also explained, "We plan to continuously release differentiated products unique to NongHyup to provide safe and hearty meals."

On the 12th, NongHyup Central Association published the '60 Years of Korean NongHyup' to commemorate its 60th anniversary, highlighting its growth history and preparing for a new future. The '60 Years of Korean NongHyup' consists of a comprehensive history covering major events by era, a pictorial chronology (Volume 1), and sectoral and thematic histories such as business development, management changes, and the NongHyup movement, along with a current status pictorial (Volume 2). The book will be distributed to regional agricultural cooperatives, city and county branches, regional headquarters, and training centers for use as educational and promotional materials, and will also be posted on the NongHyup website.

Chairman Lee said, "NongHyup is currently at a turning point where the paradigm of agricultural and livestock product distribution and digital agriculture is changing. I hope that the published '60 Years of Korean NongHyup' will serve as an opportunity to reflect on the past 60 years of growth based on the trust of farmers and the public and to leap forward toward a 100-year NongHyup together."

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