Pulmuone Participates in China International Import Expo for 3 Consecutive Years... Targeting Chinese Consumers' Tastes

Installation of the Largest 'Pulmuone PR Center' Among Korean Food Companies... Active Promotion with an 'Untact' Theme

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] Pulmuone has actively targeted Chinese consumers by participating in the China International Import Expo, the world's largest event of its kind, for three consecutive years.

On the 6th, Pulmuone announced that it is participating in the 3rd China International Import Expo held in Shanghai, China from the 5th to the 10th, to promote Korean food culture and Pulmuone’s representative products such as tofu and kimchi to Chinese consumers.

At this expo, Pulmuone established the largest promotional booth among Korean food companies, the ‘Pulmuone Exhibition Hall (108㎡),’ as a ‘Global LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) Company’ to successfully target the Chinese market. The ‘Pulmuone Exhibition Hall’ features displays of Pulmuone’s representative products, promotional videos, live broadcasts on-site, tasting sessions, and B2B consultations.

The China International Import Expo was proposed and planned directly by President Xi Jinping and boasts the largest exhibition scale in the world. Visitors range widely from general consumers to government officials from various countries, buyers, and manufacturing sectors. Pulmuone has participated every year since the first expo in 2018, building cooperative relationships with major distributors in China and enhancing its brand value.

Before the expo, China’s largest news agency Xinhua News interviewed Do Jin-woo, CEO of Pulmuone China subsidiary Pumeiduo Food, reporting that “Pulmuone, a leading organic food company representing Korea, is growing its business in China alongside the International Import Expo,” and that “while many companies participating in the expo focus on elements directly affecting sales such as contracts with buyers, Pulmuone emphasizes building brand awareness and introducing good products to consumers.”

This year’s expo saw a significant decrease in foreign visitors and restrictions on on-site attendance due to the impact of COVID-19. In response, Pulmuone adopted the theme of ‘Untact (contactless)’ for this expo and actively promoted online to introduce the Pulmuone brand and products to those unable to visit the event.

The ‘Pulmuone Exhibition Hall’ displays not only popular products in China such as tofu products, pasta, and kimchi but also representative products from Korea, the United States, and Japan, showcasing the face of ‘Global Pulmuone.’ In particular, Korean frozen home meal replacement (HMR) hit products like mozzarella hot dogs, cheese balls, and thin-skinned dumplings with rich fillings are introduced and have received favorable reviews from overseas buyers and local consumers.

Additionally, two famous Wanghong (influencers) are stationed on-site to livestream Pulmuone’s exhibition booth and company introduction on major Chinese social media channels such as TikTok and Xiaohongshu. Alongside this, Pulmuone’s representative products are sold via live commerce on China’s leading shopping malls Taobao and JD.com.

During the twice-daily ‘Cooking Show,’ professional chefs demonstrate menus applying Pulmuone’s representative items such as kimchi, tofu, and pasta, including kimchi tofu fajitas and basil meat sauce spaghetti, allowing visitors to taste the dishes. The cooking show is broadcast on-site via LED screens so that many people outside the booth can watch.

Visitors who participate in the SNS follow event receive Korean-style hot dogs as gifts, drawing enthusiastic responses from the first day.

Since establishing ‘Pumeiduo (圃美多) Food’ in Beijing and Shanghai in 2010, Pulmuone has been actively targeting the Chinese market since 2011. It built its own factory in Beijing Pinggu and established a nationwide cold chain to sell tofu products, convenient noodles, organic products, rice cakes, kimchi, and other representative Korean products to Chinese consumers.

Since 2018, Pulmuone has achieved an average annual growth rate of over 100%, and this year, marking the 10th anniversary of its entry, it recorded its first quarterly profit, marking a turning point in its China business. Its main categories, pasta and tofu products, continue to be popular, and recently, frozen HMR has grown significantly, leading sales.

CEO Do said, “Although on-site attendance decreased compared to previous years due to COVID-19, we are introducing the site and products to buyers who could not visit directly through live broadcasts on-site,” adding, “Pulmuone is turning the crisis of the COVID era and post-COVID era into an opportunity, responding more actively to market changes, and will operate the ‘Pulmuone Exhibition Hall’ successfully to further strengthen its position in the Chinese market.”