Interview with Jeong Juho, Head of HMR Marketing Team
"Properly Realized Taste Is Most Important"
"This Year Is the Right Time for Quality Upgrade"
Bestseller Bacon Cheese Egg Sandwich
6 Million Units Sold Since 2021 Launch
"Ready meals are like 'famous restaurants moved into your home.' They symbolize everything from the auntie at the local diner, the owner of a simple noodle shop, to the chef of a one-table restaurant."
On the 9th, Jeong Ju-ho, head of the Home Meal Replacement (HMR) marketing team at SPC Samlip, defined SPC Samlip's HMR as a "famous restaurant moved into your home" in an interview with Asia Economy. Jeong explained that the biggest appeal of ready meals is that you don't have to choose food and wait for delivery. If you want a delicious and convenient meal for yourself, and food that satisfies the whole family, ready meals can be a good alternative that allows you to quickly cook and eat at your desired time.
SPC Samlip officially started its home meal replacement business in 2017. Its brands include Salad Pig in the Garden, Haimeun, processed meat products Greek Schwein, and City Deli.
Jeong said, "As a comprehensive food company, SPC Samlip is expanding the market by introducing various products centered on creative ideas and quality in the HMR market," adding, "In the actual food business, B2C (business-to-consumer) channel sales have grown by an average of more than 30% annually over the past three years."
The most important aspect SPC Samlip emphasizes when developing ready meal products is 'authentically realized taste.' Jeong stated, "While securing price competitiveness compared to delivery food, we must implement a higher level of taste to achieve high consumer satisfaction," emphasizing, "We secure competitiveness through clear product concepts and product power, and we strive to commercialize menus not found in competing brands to make them SPC Samlip's unique strengths."
Among bestsellers, the 'Bacon Cheese Egg Sandwich' has surpassed 6 million cumulative sales since its launch in 2021, and the 'New Sangha Burger' has exceeded approximately 4 million cumulative sales since its release in the same year.
The 'Jang Kalguksu' from Haimeun, launched in September 2019, is characterized by a rich and thick broth topped with egg garnish, offering a savory taste. It gained great popularity as a hangover dish among camping enthusiasts through word of mouth. By April this year, cumulative sales exceeded 2.5 million units, establishing it as a representative ready meal product of SPC Samlip.
SPC Samlip's 'Roast Chicken' is also a hot topic that spread through camping communities. This product, which claims to have the taste of "oven-roasted chicken," recorded over 1 million cumulative sales within eight months of its launch, which is more than three times higher than the average processed meat product. Jeong said the secret to its popularity lies in having dedicated production facilities for direct-fire grilled products and years of research and development.
'City Deli at Home' is a global gourmet curation brand that allows you to easily enjoy a variety of world cuisines at home anytime, from staple foods to snacks and desserts. The recently released new products reinterpret the Mexican representative dish 'burrito,' which wraps meat, sauce, cheese, and other fillings in a tortilla, in a Korean style. The two types include 'Kimchi Rice Burrito,' featuring a spicy taste with diced radish kimchi and napa cabbage kimchi, and 'Bulgogi Rice Burrito,' which contains sweet bulgogi, onions, and sweet corn for a pleasant texture.
Jeong said, "The trend for ready meals this year is 'Better Quality.'" He added, "Ready meals rapidly grew over the past three years due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, and although growth has somewhat slowed after the endemic phase, now is the optimal time to upgrade quality." For example, while existing food manufacturers focused on refrigerated noodles, they are now creating a frozen noodle category that can enhance quality by adding more diverse toppings.
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