Last Year's Sales of 850.3 Billion KRW... 4.3% Increase from Previous Year
Overwhelming No.1 with 68% Offline Market Share
CJ CheilJedang's ‘Hetbahn’ once again proved itself as the strongest player in the packaged rice market by setting a new record for highest sales last year. Amid growing demand for healthy foods such as konjac rice and pot-cooked rice, factors such as diversification of online distribution channels and increased global sales are seen as the reasons for this growth.
According to CJ CheilJedang on the 26th, Hetbahn's total sales last year reached a record high of 850.3 billion KRW, marking a 4.3% increase compared to the previous year. Domestic sales grew by 1.4% year-on-year, while overseas sales increased by 21%. In particular, total sales in the fourth quarter showed a sharp growth of 9% compared to the same period last year.
Hetbahn maintained an overwhelming market share in the packaged rice market. According to market research firm Nielsen Korea, Hetbahn's domestic offline market share last year was 68%, up 1.8 percentage points from the previous year, marking the highest figure in the past three years. The flagship product, ‘Hetbahn Baekmi’ (white rice), also recorded a market share of 66.4%, rising 3.4 percentage points compared to the same period last year.
CJ CheilJedang attributes Hetbahn's growth last year to the strong performance of its ‘Wellness’ category, developed in line with the health trend sweeping the overall food market. The Wellness category, led by Hetbahn Konjac Rice and Sotbap (pot-cooked rice), showed a sales growth rate of more than double compared to the previous year, continuing its upward trend.
Hetbahn Konjac Rice is praised among consumers for balancing taste and nutrition by preserving the chewy texture of low-calorie konjac and adding a savory aroma with Cheonjihyangmi rice. Hetbahn Sotbap, based on vacuum pressure technology that replicates the pot-cooked rice principle, is also gaining popularity with a variety of menu options that capture the rich nutrition of abundant ingredients.
Efforts to diversify online distribution channels also yielded results. Last year, Hetbahn's transaction amount on Naver reached 39.1 billion KRW, about three times higher than the previous year. Especially during the Hetbahn promotional event held with Naver on Rice Day (August 18), sales on the first day of the event were nearly nine times higher than usual.
The ‘Fragrant Golden Queen Rice’ developed with Kurly sold out its initial stock within three weeks of launch, surpassing 67,000 cumulative sets sold on Market Kurly by the end of last year. Additionally, CJ CheilJedang pre-launched the new product ‘Environmentally Friendly Hetbahn’ through Shinsegae’s three distribution channels (Emart, SSG.com, and Gmarket), and enabled consumers to purchase Hetbahn quickly and conveniently within about 30 minutes through quick commerce services such as Baedal Minjok’s B Mart.
Sales of Hetbahn on CJ CheilJedang’s own online mall, CJ The Market, also increased significantly. Last year, Hetbahn sales on CJ The Market reached approximately 23.8 billion KRW, a 79% increase compared to the previous year. Thanks to these achievements, Hetbahn sales through online channels, including CJ The Market, grew by 17% year-on-year in the fourth quarter alone.
Hetbahn’s global growth is also noteworthy. In particular, sales of white rice at major distribution channels such as Costco in the United States increased by 25% compared to the previous year, driving growth. It is evaluated that Hetbahn has established a virtuous cycle of repurchase by receiving high marks from overseas consumers for its superior taste quality compared to instant rice products from global companies.
CJ CheilJedang plans to continue its solid growth this year through the expansion of the Wellness category and the ‘home meal’ positioning of Hetbahn. While consumer preference for home-cooked meals is high, new products such as ‘Seoritae Black Rice’ and ‘Mixed Grain Rice,’ which were difficult to commercialize due to technological limitations, will be launched. In addition, sales of ‘Postprandial Blood Sugar Rice’ (rice that can help with postprandial blood sugar), the first rice product certified as a health functional food, will be expanded compared to before.
Im Dong-hyuk, head of CJ CheilJedang’s Processed Rice Business, said, “Hetbahn has sufficiently overcome an unfavorable market environment with its ‘only one’ competitiveness,” adding, “Hetbahn will continue to evolve with differentiated taste quality and introduce various products that meet consumer expectations.”
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