Dongwon F&B Leads Refrigerated Ham Market with 'Grilly'

Dongwon F&B's premium direct-grilled ham brand ‘Grilly’ is leading the refrigerated ham market trend with its differentiated smoky flavor and diverse lineup.

The domestic refrigerated ham market has continuously evolved and steadily grown in response to changing social trends. Starting from the ‘pink sausage’ made with cheap fish paste, pork fat, and starch in the 1960s and 70s, the market progressed through refrigerated hams such as square ham and Vienna sausages used as side dishes, to additive-free refrigerated hams without synthetic additives, with continuous changes in taste and form.

The emerging next-generation refrigerated ham is the ‘direct-grilled ham.’ In 2016, Dongwon F&B became the first in the industry to introduce oven and grill facilities, launching differentiated products that replicate the taste of fire-grilled meat, thereby creating a new refrigerated ham category called ‘direct-grilled ham.’ According to Nielsen Korea, the domestic refrigerated ham market currently stands at about 800 billion KRW, with growth stagnating, while direct-grilled ham products with smoky flavor are driving market growth.

Dongwon F&B launched the Grilly brand last year to unify its direct-grilled ham product line, offering a variety of products including square ham, frankfurters, chicken breast, bacon, and meatballs. Recording sales of approximately 40 billion KRW last year, Dongwon F&B is continuing the growth of direct-grilled ham and plans to expand the product line and actively engage in online and offline marketing activities to grow Grilly into a 100 billion KRW annual sales brand by 2025.

The flagship product, ‘Grilly Direct-Grilled Samgyeopsal,’ is a fresh meat convenience food made by grilling refrigerated whole pork belly on a direct grill for easy enjoyment. The whole pork belly, aged at low temperature for over 6 hours, is first baked once in a 250℃ oven, then grilled once more on a 500℃ direct grill, delivering a rich smoky flavor along with full aroma and juiciness. It can be conveniently enjoyed by heating it in the microwave for just 40 seconds, avoiding the hassle of oil splatter or odor spread when grilling samgyeopsal at home.