Once COVID-19 ravaged the world and had much of the population staying indoors, frozen foods have become more of a necessity than ever. With countries like the U.S. experiencing high demand with grocery items in the past year, shoppers have been able to explore a wide variety of frozen foods, one of them being Korean dumplings or mandu.
According to the Korea International Trade Association, exports on mandu have increased by over 40%, raking in about $51 million, and U.S. exports alone have risen by 50% to about $12 million. Needless to say, many people outside of Korea have begun to familiarize themselves more with the country’s take on dumplings.
Sim Hye-jung, a researcher at the Institute for International Trade, believes that “Korean mandu are enjoying global popularity due to the fact that they can be steamed, fried and put into soups thanks to the light wrapping . . . A continued [rise in] exports to the United States is expected since mandu is becoming well-received as a meal rather than a snack.”
Due to the rise in demand of Korean frozen foods, CJCJ Food, Americas has dedicated themselves to furthering the popularization of mandu and other frozen meals by releasing new merchandising models, building out a cohesive portfolio of multiple Asian food brands for retailers, and investing in top-class manufacturing of food products. CJCJ Food, Americas is best known as a company that is made up of U.S-based partners like Schwan’s Company and CJ Foods USA Inc. These partners are responsible for the distribution of popular brands such as Bibigo, Annie Chun, Red Baron, Pagoda, and Kahiki.
As part of their initiative for a new in-store merchandising model and shopping experience, CJCJ Food, Americas is implementing a method of transferring Asian frozen food inventory into a two-to-three-door section, which could ease the obstacle of finding a dedicated space for strictly Asian cuisine.
Brands within CJ Foods USA Inc. such as Bibigo, Kahiki and Annie Chun will also be distributed more widely in American retail stores, making them more readily available for customers who may not have access to Asian grocers. This initiative has also helped catapult the creation of new products that have the potential to be well-received by the American public such as fried rice, Korean-style chicken, and vegetables with kimchi.
With more and more people recognizing the various flavors within Korean culture, especially with mandu, food distribution companies will only start to see an upwards trend with the popularization of Korean cuisine.
Julie Kim
Asia Journal
(Los Angeles Times Advertising Supplement)
