CJ CheilJedang to export K-Street Foods

South Korean food company CJ CheilJedang Corp. ’s strategic product lineup K-Street Food will be launched in June next year on major global markets in order following their release at home, starting with rice tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) and the two foods gimmari (fried seaweed roll) and fried squid.

In May, the company’s brand Bibigo named six foods to its K-Street Food lineup: tteokbokki, South Korean-style corn dogs, gimbap (seaweed roll), gimmari, bungeobbang (fish-shaped snack filled with red bean paste) and hotteok (sweet pancakes).

Under the Bibigo brand, the plan is to foster next-generation Korean food into a new growth engine by expanding its global reach.

The first food in this campaign is room temperature tteokbokki, which is mainly sold at ethnic markets and online sites. CJ CheilJedang exports this to 27 countries including the US, Australia, Vietnam and Singapore.

In March, Bibigo released in Japan three types of its frozen gimbap with the fillings ham and vegetable, bulgogi (stir-fried marinated meat), and kimchi and cheese. The three are sold at about 2,000 stores through mainstream distribution on the Japanese market, including the country’s top supermarket chain Aeon.

Bibigo launched its tuna mayonnaise gimbap last month at a consumer promotion hosted by Costco Japan, with its prepared quantity selling out early.

In South Korea, the three types of the brand’s bungeoppang released in August have attracted keen demand, fueling expectations of their export to major global markets soon.

These new foods incorporate CJ CheilJedang technology for export purposes. For example, Bibigo’s rice tteokbokki, whose overseas shipments will before the end of the year, is made with chewy and soft rice cake even if not soaked in water, plus its full flavor is brought out by the company’s self-developed seasonings Vegan Dasida and TasteNrich.

K-Street Food’s gimmari and fried squid, both of which go great with tteokbokki, are made with CJ CheilJedang’s own Batter Mix technology.

Write to Kyeong-je Han at hankyung@hankyung.com