[NE Coffee Chat] The Bareun Company Opens Export Markets with Tteok Loved by Millennials and Gen Z

Interview with Jeon Myeongjun, CEO of The Bareun Company
Developing Tteok for People in Their 20s and 30s, Achieving No. 1 in E-commerce
Exporting to Canada and Beyond... Globalizing Tteok (TTEOK)

There are several fixed ideas about tteok (Korean rice cake). Tteok is preferred by middle-aged and older generations rather than the young; tteok is a food meant to be eaten on the day it is made, so it is difficult to maintain its taste and freshness for long-distance delivery. These assumptions, which had been taken for granted, became obstacles to expanding the market for Korean tteok. Jeon Myeongjun, CEO of The Bareun Company, has been breaking these stereotypes and growing the tteok brand "The Bareun." He developed tteok that can be enjoyed by people in their 20s and 30s, and opened up export opportunities with manufacturing technology that maintains the same quality even after freezing.

On July 31, CEO Jeon stated, "Our goal is to make The Bareun a place where you can purchase any type of tteok you want." The Bareun covers all categories of tteok, from traditional tteok to fusion tteok and meal-replacement tteok. Recently, they have even developed low-sugar tteok to reflect the wellness trend. Popular products such as Bap-al Chapssal Tteok, Strawberry Cream Tteok, and Chestnut Cream Tteok are abundant. The brand has consistently ranked first in the tteok category on platforms like Coupang and KakaoTalk Gift. Now, as more consumers who have tried the products are seeking them out, sales on their own website have also increased significantly.

Myungjun Jeon CEO of TheBarun Company

The reason The Bareun, which began making tteok in 2021, was able to establish itself in a market where large corporations and mid-sized food companies are also competing lies in its ability to identify and meet consumer needs with strong products. CEO Jeon explained, "It usually takes 8 to 10 months to launch a single product at The Bareun," and "it requires 300 to 400 kilograms of rice to finally develop a tteok that can be introduced to the market."

The most important factor is, of course, taste. The company insists on using 100% Korean rice and fresh ingredients, and strictly adheres to a no-preservative, no-additive policy. On top of these basic principles, The Bareun has added its own technology for flavor. CEO Jeon said, "Before launching a product, we conduct around 100 formulation tests, combining variables such as texture, sweetness, heating time, and rapid freezing time," and "during production, we mix the ingredients hundreds of times per minute in a vacuum, and immediately after production, we rapidly freeze the tteok at minus 40 degrees Celsius to ensure that the taste remains intact after thawing."

Can the taste of tteok distributed through rapid freezing really be preserved after thawing? While there may be concerns based on existing perceptions, this is actually the area where CEO Jeon has the most confidence. He said, "If you freeze and thaw tteok bought at the market, you can't get this kind of taste," and "The Bareun Tteok's manufacturing technology ensures that, no matter when you thaw it, the chewy texture and high quality are maintained as if it were freshly made. Consumers also rate it as tastier than market tteok."

The process of making tteok at The Bareun Company is infused with know-how passed down for two generations. CEO Jeon entered the tteok business under the influence of his father, who operated a tteok factory. During the COVID-19 pandemic, orders at the tteok factory decreased, making management difficult. The idea of creating a popular tteok brand and placing orders at his father's factory became the motivation for his entrepreneurial journey.

Four years after its founding, The Bareun Company is now able to pursue the globalization of Korean tteok based on its success in the domestic market. Exports have already begun to the United States, Canada, and Singapore. To differentiate it from the well-known Japanese "mochi" in these regions and to promote uniquely Korean tteok, the brand name explicitly uses "tteok." CEO Jeon said, "We are expanding exports targeting the North American market," and "considering the health-conscious local consumers, we plan to launch not only low-sugar tteok but also protein tteok in the future."