Cuchen FlexCook Sales Up 422% from January to September
Just Add Ingredients and Press a Button to Complete Cooking
Market Outlook 'Rosy' Thanks to 'Home Cook' Trend
Cuchen's multicooker 'FlexCook.' Sales of FlexCook from January to September this year increased by 422% compared to the same period last year. [Photo by Cuchen]
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Junhyung] As the home cooking trend spreads, multicookers are gaining popularity. A multicooker is an appliance shaped like a rice cooker that can prepare various dishes such as soups, porridges, and steamed foods. The increasing number of single-person households and dual-income couples seeking convenient meal solutions is also fueling the popularity of multicookers. They can maximize kitchen space utilization and are suitable for cooking meal kits, potentially replacing the popular kitchen appliance, the air fryer.
According to kitchen appliance company Cuchen on the 9th, sales of the company’s multicooker ‘FlexCook’ surged 568% in September this year compared to the same period last year. Sales from January to September this year increased by 422% compared to the same period last year. The company started exporting to Russia in September and has begun expanding into overseas markets. A Cuchen representative explained, “FlexCook is differentiated from existing multicookers by being the first in Korea to include a blender function,” adding, “There is no multicooker with specs like FlexCook’s currently available in the domestic market.”
A multicooker is a new concept appliance that completes various dishes simply by adding ingredients and pressing a button. In the case of Cuchen’s FlexCook, it can prepare 136 different dishes. It combines several kitchen appliances such as rice cookers and blenders into one product, enhancing space efficiency. It also has the advantage of easily completing various dishes including Korean, Western, and Chinese cuisines without complicated cooking processes. In Western countries such as the United States and Europe, where rice is not a staple food, this appliance is already common. In fact, it is reported that more than 10% of households in the U.S. use multicookers.
Domestic appliance companies began introducing multicookers in 2019. This coincided with the rise in demand for ‘multi’ appliances with two or more functions in one device, driven by the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z) who prefer convenient cooking and the increase in one- to two-person households. Accordingly, appliance companies such as Cuckoo, Cuchen, and Shinil Electronics have successively launched multicookers with various cooking functions.
The COVID-19 pandemic fueled the multicooker market. As people spent more time at home, the number of those opting for home-cooked meals instead of dining out increased, leading to a corresponding rise in demand for multicookers. This is why the major player Samsung Electronics entered the multicooker market this year. Samsung Electronics launched the ‘Bespoke Cooker,’ a multicooker specialized for meal kit cooking, in July. This product surpassed 10,000 units sold within a month of its release and continued to sell out during subsequent live commerce events.
The situation is similar in the Chinese market, which has a food culture similar to Korea’s. According to the Korea International Trade Association, multicooker sales in China surged by 15,011% year-on-year during the worst COVID-19 period from January to March last year.
Exports are also on the rise. From January to September this year, South Korea’s multicooker exports to China amounted to $176.32 million (approximately 208.3 billion KRW), a 40.2% increase compared to the same period last year ($125.75 million). The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) expects the multicooker market to continue growing steadily as hygiene awareness has increased in China and more consumers are cooking at home due to COVID-19.
There are also forecasts that multicookers could become the next ‘hit appliance’ following air fryers. This is because the ‘homeconomy’ market has expanded significantly due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, and multicookers are well-suited for the steadily growing meal kit cooking demand. Samsung Electronics’ entry into the multicooker market is also based on the growth trend of the meal kit market. An industry insider explained, “As the market grows, multicooker lineups are diversifying from low-end to premium models,” adding, “The multicooker market was worth 40 billion KRW last year but is expected to expand significantly this year.”
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