S.Korea's office cafeteria firms expand into overseas markets

South Korea's office cafeteria companies, including Hyundai Green Food Co., Ourhome, and Samsung Welstory plan to expand overseas markets with the popularity of Korean food. 

According to the domestic office catering industry, Ourhome signed a business agreement with Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation (aT) to expand overseas office cafeterias and homegrown farm produce. 

This year, OurHome has expanded its Korean food menu to more than 110 group cafeterias in North America, Europe, and Asia. 

The company operates overseas in five countries, the US, China, Poland, Vietnam, and Mexico. 

Last year, it won a 20,000-meal group meal order in Vietnam for an affiliate of FPT Group, the country's largest information and communication technology company.

Hyundai Green Foods has operated 88 plants in seven countries, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Iraq, China, Mexico, and the US since 2011.

The company plans to increase the proportion of Korean menus at overseas sites, such as the Hyundai Motor Co. 's plant in Georgia, the US, to 30~50% next year from the current 20%. 

In competitive bidding for Samsung SDI's cafeteria business held after its establishment in Hungary, the company won the right to operate the catering over an existing local catering company.

Write to Hun-Hyoung Ha at hhh@hankyung.com