CJ CheilJedang Bibigo Launches 'Mandu' Market Creation Effort in Japan

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] ‘Bibigo’ continues the Korean-style dumpling craze in Japan.

CJ CheilJedang announced on the 7th that it will change the product names of six types of dumplings sold in Japan from ‘Gyoza’ to ‘Mandu’ and promote them as large-sized products.

Accordingly, ‘Bibigo Wang Gyoza’ will be renamed ‘Bibigo Wang Mandu,’ and ‘Bibigo Mul Gyoza’ will be renamed ‘Bibigo Mul Mandu.’ In addition, the product packaging will display the product name in Japanese (マンドゥ), English (MANDU), and also in Hangul, allowing Japanese consumers to more accurately recognize ‘Korean-style dumplings.’

The Japanese gyoza market was worth 650 billion yen last year and has been growing rapidly at an average annual rate of 6.7% since 2015. However, due to the firmly established form and way of eating Japanese-style gyoza, it has been difficult for Korean-style dumplings to enter the market.

CJ CheilJedang entered the Japanese market with the judgment that ‘Bibigo Wang Gyoza,’ which is clearly differentiated in taste and size from typical Japanese gyoza, could actually have competitiveness. In the early stage of entry in 2018, they introduced relatively familiar mul mandu to conservative Japanese consumers, promoting the brand as ‘healthy taste with thin but durable skin.’

Subsequently, they introduced ‘Bibigo Wang Gyoza,’ which is more than 1.5 times larger than typical Japanese gyoza, raising awareness of ‘Korean-style dumplings.’ With a strategic approach considering the Japanese market situation, Bibigo dumpling sales doubled in the first half of this year compared to the previous year, and the number of stores carrying the product expanded by more than 1,500.

CJ CheilJedang is conducting various local marketing activities to successfully establish ‘Mandu’ in the Japanese market. Since the 15th, they have been running the ‘Mandu-hada Campaign’ centered on ‘Bibigo Wang Mandu,’ meeting consumers both online and offline.

Through TV commercials and digital content, actor Park Seo-joon, the Bibigo model, introduces the unique features of the dumplings. On Twitter, they held a ‘Mandu Challenge’ event where participants chose and shared dumpling recipe cards they wanted to try. About 20,000 people participated in the event, sharing various cooking methods of Korean dumplings such as steaming and frying, as well as the commonly used Japanese pan-fried gyoza method.

Additionally, until January 16 next year, they plan to operate a ‘Bibigo Pop-up Store’ at the ‘Shibuya109’ shopping mall in Shibuya, Tokyo, and provide delivery services, aiming to meet the Japanese MZ generation with various Bibigo menus including dumplings.

A CJ CheilJedang official said, “With the expansion of home dining during the pandemic and difficulties in traveling to Korea, interest in K-food processed products among Japanese people has increased. Just as Micho brought a craze to the Japanese drinking vinegar market centered on black vinegar, we will promote the charm of Korean-style dumplings to Japanese consumers and continue the ‘Bibigo Mandu’ craze in Japan.”

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