CJ CheilJedang Continues US Dumpling Success with 'Global Hetbahn'

CJ CheilJedang exports global Hetbahn 'Multigrain'
Available in over 4,000 stores including Walmart and Kroger in the US
Aiming to lead instant rice market by targeting premium segment
Hetbahn global project also underway

Four types of CJ CheilJedang's global Hetbahn 'Multigrain' products. / Photo by CJ CheilJedang

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] CJ CheilJedang is launching a full-scale entry into the U.S. market with its global Hetbahn brand following its Bibigo brand dumplings.

According to industry sources on the 21st, CJ CheilJedang plans to place its global Hetbahn product, "Multi Grain," in about 4,000 mainstream retail stores in the U.S., including Walmart and Kroger, starting this August. Multi Grain is an instant rice product containing two or more grains, seasoned with salt and oil to suit local tastes. It consists of four varieties: brown rice & jasmine, brown rice & quinoa, and brown rice & wild rice. Released in a container shaped like a traditional Korean rice bowl to enhance eating convenience, it also differentiates itself from the pouch-type instant rice, which is mainstream in the U.S. market.

Multi Grain incorporates CJ CheilJedang’s 27 years of research and development know-how accumulated through Hetbahn. Targeting the U.S. market, it applies unique equipment and technology developed over five years, along with optimal heat treatment and moisture control technology, to achieve a soft texture and high-quality flavor of the rice grains. It has obtained the strictest and most credible Non-GMO certification in the U.S., as well as meeting stringent U.S. export regulations. In a blind tasting evaluation conducted with U.S. consumers before the product launch, Multi Grain received a high average score of 4.2 in texture, flavor, and purchase intention categories.

With the trend of convenience foods and the global popularity of "K-Food," the instant rice market overseas is steadily growing. According to the Rice Processed Food Association, last year’s export value of rice processed foods with a high proportion of instant rice reached $163 million, setting a record following $138 million the previous year. The U.S. instant rice market is also expected to grow to over 1 trillion won by 2025.

CJ CheilJedang expects the "Hetbahn Global Project" to accelerate with the export of Multi Grain. Demand for premium products is also expected to continue increasing, and Multi Grain will target the premium market. Currently, Hetbahn exported to the U.S. and locally produced frozen fried rice and other instant rice products are growing by more than 40% year-on-year, and the company plans to continue this growth trend with Multi Grain exports.

The expansion of the Global Strategy Product (GSP) business, one of the seven major global strategic products, is also expected to accelerate. Similar to Bibigo dumplings, which overtook "Ling Ling," the former No. 1 in the U.S. dumpling market, CJ CheilJedang plans to nurture various products such as Multi Grain, chicken, kimchi, K-sauce, gim (seaweed), and rolls as representative products for globalizing Korean food culture. Last year, sales of GSP items in the U.S. market increased by 30% compared to the previous year.

A CJ CheilJedang official said, "Hetbahn was born based on Chairman Lee Jae-hyun’s management philosophy of creating future food when the concept of buying cooked rice did not even exist." He added, "Now, Hetbahn will go beyond the domestic market and become a representative K-Food product enjoyed worldwide with ‘Multi Grain.’"

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