Major Distribution Chain with 49 Branches Across China
Annual Export Target of Approximately 620,000 Bags
Pulmuone becomes the first domestic company to export frozen gimbap to major distribution channels in China.
On the 12th, Pulmuone announced that it has started selling frozen gimbap at Sam’s Club, a major distribution channel in China. The export product is ‘Tuna KimBap’ (Korean-style tuna gimbap), sold in packs of three tuna gimbap rolls. Sales recently began at all 49 Sam’s Club locations across China. By September, a total of 136,000 packs, equivalent to over 400,000 individual gimbap rolls, are expected to be exported to China. The company aims to export approximately 620,000 packs annually.
Recently, gimbap has been gaining attention worldwide as an affordable (cost-effective) and healthy meal option. Pulmuone judged that there is high potential demand for gimbap in the Chinese market and promoted the export of frozen gimbap to spread K-food within China. A Pulmuone official explained, "Considering the ongoing ‘gimbap boom’ centered in the U.S. last year due to the influence of short-form content, we believed there is a good chance of success in Asian regions familiar with rice, especially the Chinese market."
Support from related organizations for the global expansion of K-food also greatly helped. Pulmuone was able to smoothly complete the registration process for overseas production companies of imported food products in China with the support of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in China and the Beijing branch of the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT). Pulmuone plans to actively utilize aT’s export support projects to establish the frozen gimbap market and further spread K-food.
Yoon Sung-won, Head of Marketing at Pulmuone’s China branch, said, “Based on the proven performance of frozen gimbap at Sam’s Club, we plan to expand to other channels and promote the expansion of the Korean rice meal category. We will make this frozen gimbap export an opportunity to secure a leading position in China’s frozen K-street food market.”
Meanwhile, Pulmuone established its China branch, ‘Pumeiduo (圃美多) Food,’ in Beijing and Shanghai in 2010. Pumeiduo Food overcame the THAAD crisis in 2017 and has gained trust from Chinese consumers and distributors through steady production and supply even during the COVID-19 pandemic. The popularity of its main products, convenient meal pastas and tofu, and the growth of home meal replacements have driven sales, achieving an average annual growth rate of 40% from 2019 to last year.
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