"Is This Really Frozen Food?"... Korean Street Snack Receives High Praise from International Judges [Interview]

Lotte Mart's Private Brand Wins at Monde Selection for Three Consecutive Years
The Key Developers Behind Yorihada "Honey Hotteok" and "Gondre Vegetable Hot Rice"
Interview with Food PB Development Team MDs Areum Choi and Jungbin Lee

"I wanted to break the stereotype that 'cheap means low quality' and create a brand centered on the value that quality provides."

Jungbin Lee (31), MD of Lotte Mart Food PB Development Team 2 (left), and Areum Choi (42), MD of Lotte Mart Food PB Development Team 2 (right), are being interviewed by Asia Economy at the Lotte Mart headquarters in Songpa-gu, Seoul. Provided by Lotte Mart.

Jungbin Lee (31), MD of Lotte Mart Food PB Development Team 2, shared his thoughts in a recent interview with our publication after his private brand (PB) "Yorihada" product, "Honey Hotteok," won the gold award at the global food competition "Monde Selection."

Monde Selection is a prestigious food evaluation competition that began in Brussels, Belgium in 1961. More than 80 experts participate in the evaluation process, awarding the Grand Gold (evaluation score 90-100), Gold (80-89), Silver (70-79), and Bronze (60-69) medals. This year, over 3,000 products from more than 150 countries participated. Lotte Mart won gold medals for three PB products: Yorihada Honey Hotteok, Yorihada Gondre Vegetable Hot Rice, and Oneuljoeun Gimmatna.

Lotte Mart's private brand (PB) "Yorihada" products "Honey Hotteok" and "Gondre Vegetable Hot Rice" recently won the gold award at the global food competition "Monde Selection." Photo by JaeHyun Park

In particular, Honey Hotteok was praised by the judging panel as "a Korean pancake with a rich flavor and harmonious cinnamon aroma." It was also highly acclaimed for its "crispy outside and moist inside" texture, providing a satisfying tasting experience. Lee said, "This year's award-winning products are even closer to authentic Korean cuisine than last year's," and added, "I am convinced that K-food has sufficient competitiveness on the international stage."

Honey Hotteok is a frozen food product that recreates "Hotteok," a representative Korean street food. Before its development as a Yorihada PB product, frozen hotteok was rare. The biggest challenge was simultaneously preventing the honey filling from leaking and achieving the chewy texture of the dough. The development team conducted countless panel tests to adjust the sweetness preference and texture, and succeeded in creating a chewy texture without honey leakage by finely tuning the flour blend ratio. Lee emphasized, "PB products should be more affordable than regular brands, but above all, maintaining quality is the priority." He added, "Recently, there has been an increasing number of consumer responses on YouTube and social media saying that PB products are actually of better quality."

Jungbin Lee (31), MD of Lotte Mart Food PB Development Team 2, is talking about the development process of 'Honey Hotteok' while cooking. Courtesy of Lotte Mart.

The gold-awarded "Gondre Vegetable Hot Rice" is also the result of meticulous design to replicate the texture of freshly cooked, fluffy rice. Areum Choi (42), MD of Lotte Mart Food PB Development Team 2, who developed this product, explained, "Although similar frozen products are available on the market, many people are disappointed by the taste despite the convenience," and said, "To overcome these limitations, we focused on preserving the fluffy texture of the rice grains by using a direct-fire cauldron cooking method."

In addition, to find the optimal texture and aroma,Choi compared gondre from various regions during the product development process. She recalled, "The gondre grown in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province, was the best, allowing us to fully bring out the unique aroma of gondre."

The Lotte Mart PB development team holds a planning meeting every Wednesday to develop new products. Not only the development team but also product team MDs participate to discuss the suitability and marketability of the products. Products that pass the first stage move on to a panel test consisting of about 20 internal employees in their 20s to 40s. Only products that score above a certain threshold in this test proceed to the next stage. After reporting to executives, the design concept is finalized with the design team, and product labeling is reviewed in collaboration with the quality team. It takes several months to launch a product. Choi added with a smile, "If a product fails to meet the required score in the panel test, we have to go back to the beginning, so the development process is inevitably repeated. That's why no one on the development team is skinny."

Arem Choi (42), MD of Lotte Mart Food PB Development Team 2, is talking about the development process of 'Gondre Vegetable Hot Pot Rice' while cooking. Provided by Lotte Mart.

Even after a product is launched, thorough quality management continues to drive improvements. Choi said, "Since food is made by people, there can be differences in taste or aroma. If we receive reviews such as 'It doesn't taste as good today' on Lotte Mart's exclusive app 'Zeta,' we re-examine the product and continue post-launch quality management."

These efforts have led to K-food being recognized in the global market. Lotte Mart currently exports these PB products to countries familiar with K-culture, such as Mongolia and Singapore.On May 15, Lotte Mart even opened a Korean food specialty store at NTUC FairPrice, the largest retailer in Singapore. In some stores, products have sold out, indicating a strong local response. Lotte Martis also considering entering the US market.Choi emphasized, "When people think of Yorihada, I want them to associate it with 'practical yet delicious and high-quality,' and 'trustworthy.' We will continue to focus on customer feedback and reflect it in our products."