Hyundai Green Food 'Modu-ui Matjip' Meal Kit... "Winning with Menu Differentiation" [The World of Convenience Foods]

Kang Ihun, Senior Manager at Hyundai Green Food

Supporting Restaurants Struggling Due to COVID-19 with RMR
20,000 Sales of Menu Items from 10 Local Specialty Restaurants

Kang Ihun, Senior Staff at Hyundai Green Food.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] "The recognition of the restaurant is not important. We look at how the menu will be differentiated in the market."

Kang Ihun, Senior Manager at Hyundai Green Food, said in an interview with Asia Economy on the 23rd, "This is the reason why pasta with gopchang (beef intestines) and jjambbong (spicy seafood noodle soup) with cockles instead of mussels were selected as Hyundai Green Food's Ready Meal Replacement (RMR) products."

Hyundai Green Food is carrying out the 'Everyone's Restaurant' project, which aims to support restaurants struggling due to COVID-19 by launching RMR products. Hyundai Green Food discovers local restaurants and covers all costs from meal kit planning, manufacturing, distribution, to marketing.

Senior Manager Kang said, "We had to select 10 restaurants during the planning stage, but 260 applied," adding, "In line with the purpose of mutual growth, we focused on what kind of differentiation could be created rather than how famous the restaurant was." As a result, menus from 10 local restaurants such as Daejeon's 'Italian Guksi' gopchang cheese pasta, 'Jogijongui Hyangmigak's' cockle jjambbong, and Seongsan Myeongga in Changwon, Gyeongnam's cherry blossom honey ribs were launched and made it to consumers' tables.

Kang's strategy emphasizing differentiation proved successful in the market, surpassing the target sales of 10,000 units within two months and selling 20,000 units. Kang explained, "The charcoal-grilled large intestines pasta from Italian Guksi was recognized by consumers as a delicacy and was the most popular among RMR products," adding, "Seongsan Myeongga's cherry blossom honey ribs were also produced and sold as a Lunar New Year gift set, with all 200 units sold out. We produced an additional 200 units, which also sold out within three days."

Hyundai Green Food plans to further expand the Everyone's Restaurant project. Kang said, "We plan to release samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) and tantanmen meal kits in collaboration with 'Balsan Samgyetang' in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, and the Chinese restaurant 'Xiao Zhan' in Seocho-gu next month," adding, "Although I cannot disclose specific details, we are preparing the second phase of Everyone's Restaurant within this year. We are also currently considering collaborations beyond local restaurants, including traditional markets."

He continued, "As the number of one- to two-person households continues to increase, the popularity of meal kits is expected to remain steady," and added, "We will continue to introduce various local foods to consumers based on mutual growth."