Ourhome Accelerates Overseas Expansion: "Beyond Group Catering to Supplying K-Food"

"Global Business Revenue Grows 30% Year-on-Year This Year"
Vice Chairman Gu Ji-eun Conducts Sales Efforts at CES to Secure Orders

Ourhome is set to actively expand overseas to evolve into a global food & health tech company.

Ourhome announced on the 15th that it signed a contract at the end of last year to operate the in-house cafeteria of Continental, a German automotive parts company based in China. The cafeteria, located within Continental's research center in Changsha, China, operates 24 hours a day. This marks Ourhome's first global corporate food service contract in the Chinese market. Having secured the cafeteria operation rights for Continental, a leading global and representative German company, the company expects this to accelerate securing contracts with major global companies’ production facilities and research centers in China.

Former Chairman Koo Ja-hak, recipient of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1983

A Relationship Since the Former Chairman... Contract Achievements in Germany and Vietnam

The background of this contract includes former Ourhome Chairman Koo Ja-hak. Chairman Koo established ties with Germany by serving as chairman of the Korea-Germany Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 1981 and was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit by West Germany in 1983. He continued his special relationship by serving as chairman of the Korea-Germany Economic Cooperation Committee in 1987. Building on this, Ourhome joined the German Chamber of Commerce in China (AHK Greater China) last year and succeeded in securing contracts through active sales activities.

There is also a positive outlook for expanding in the Vietnamese market. In September last year, Ourhome signed a memorandum of understanding to operate food services in student cafeterias with FPT Education and currently operates student cafeterias (serving about 20,000 meals per day) at 10 private schools across Vietnam managed by FPT Education. Additionally, Ourhome is collaborating with FPT Software, Vietnam’s largest information and communication company, to build food service facilities within a large training center under development by the company. This year, Ourhome plans to double the number of stores it operates through aggressive contract acquisition activities.

An Ourhome official stated, "With 40 years of experience in group catering, food material distribution, food, and dining businesses, Ourhome has the know-how and experience to provide optimal food services anywhere globally," adding, "Especially, based on advanced manufacturing, logistics, and purchasing systems, we are gaining momentum in expanding our global business."

Based on these capabilities, Ourhome expects its global business sales to grow by 30% compared to the previous year. Until now, Ourhome’s global business has mainly focused on group catering centered on affiliates across four countries: the United States, China, Vietnam, and Poland. However, going forward, the company plans to secure various local and global companies as customers and supply K-Food and K-food materials to local customers and distribution channels. Last year, Ourhome began producing kimchi locally in Poland through collaboration with a local company. Utilizing the infrastructure established by Ourhome Poland, founded in 2021, the company aims to produce kimchi locally through Polish manufacturers and compete in European and Asian markets with the “freshly made, crispy kimchi taste.”

Gu Ji-eun, Vice Chairman of Ourhome, attending 'CES 2024' held in Las Vegas, USA

Exploring Future Businesses such as Food Tech and Healthcare

Ourhome is striving to transform into a true global company by expanding global sourcing and trade between Korea and third countries based on its overseas bases. Vice Chairman Koo Ji-eun’s attendance at CES2024, the world’s largest electronics and IT exhibition, this year is also seen as a strategic move to target the global market.

Vice Chairman Koo led a delegation she personally organized, focusing on business strategy, global, and technology experience innovation, and stayed on-site throughout CES2024, visiting various related exhibition booths such as food tech, AI, and healthcare. She particularly visited digital healthcare companies to exchange ideas on advancing and globally expanding Ourhome’s Callis Lab, which provides personalized nutrition meal plans, and plans to continue various exchanges even after CES ends. She also participated in related conference sessions to assess Ourhome’s capabilities, understand global technology trends, and devoted herself to sales activities to expand orders.

To actively promote this strategic global expansion, Ourhome plans to open a booth and participate in Paris SIAL 2024, the world’s largest international food exhibition, held in Paris, France, from October 19 to 23. The booth will showcase Ourhome’s past, present, and future, introducing not only the company’s existing four major business models but also the future-oriented food service model Callis Lab, which provides customers with personalized health and enjoyment, as well as the excellence of K-Food and K-food materials to global customers.

Kim Ki-yong, head of Ourhome’s Global Business Division, said, “Since last year, we have been conducting aggressive sales activities to expand our global business and have achieved clear results in some regions. In line with our mid- to long-term strategy, we plan to tighten our focus on the global market this year and will faithfully fulfill our role as a ‘global K-Food ambassador.’”