Lotte's Kangrok Choi vs. Shinsegae's Jongwon Son... Distribution Industry Reignites 'Black and White' Marketing

From Convenience Stores to Department Stores, Chef Marketing Heats Up
'Black and White Chef' IP Becomes a Guarantee of Success
Fierce Competition Among Retailers to Secure Top Chefs

As the popularity of the Netflix cooking competition series "Black and White Chef 2" continues, the distribution industry is once again igniting the trend of "chef marketing." With products developed in collaboration with chefs from Season 1 proving to be successful, convenience stores and retailers that are quick to respond to trends are actively launching new products and expanding collaborations.

The 'Star Chef' collaboration series presented by Seven Eleven with the chefs who appeared after the airing of Black and White Chef Season 1. Provided by Seven Eleven.

According to the distribution industry on January 14, Seven Eleven partnered with Chef Choi Kangrok, who appeared on "Black and White Chef 2," to launch the premium distilled soju "Neon 25 White" on January 7, selling out the initial batch of 10,000 bottles. This product, made with domestically grown organic Garumi rice from Gokseong, Jeollanam-do, is known to have been developed with direct involvement from Chef Choi Kangrok from the planning stage. With the initial batch selling out quickly, Seven Eleven plans to increase the second batch to 15,000 bottles, up from the original 10,000, and will begin sales on January 23.

Chef Choi Kangrok, a Japanese cuisine chef known for his exceptional simmering skills and nicknamed "Jorimping," also appeared in Season 1 of "Black and White Chef." In March last year, he launched a series of ready meals with Seven Eleven, including "Choi Kangrok's Soy Sauce Perilla Oil Bibimbap" and "Choi Kangrok's Soboro Triangle Gimbap." With his reappearance and victory in "Black and White Chef 2," interest in related products is expected to grow even further.

Lotte Mart, another affiliate of Lotte Group, is also selling collaborative products with Chef Choi Kangrok. For this year's Lunar New Year pre-order gift sets, Lotte Mart is offering meat gift sets in collaboration with Chef Choi Kangrok. The "Choi Kangrok's Naya LA Galbi Set (2kg)" and "Choi Kangrok's Naya, Wakku Yakiniku Set (MBS8+ grade)," both exclusive collaborations, are being sold to L.Point members for 109,000 won and 149,000 won, respectively. In addition, Lotte Mart is offering five types of beef grilling sets under the "Choi Kangrok's Naya" series, including chuck flap tail, chuck eye roll, top blade, flower short rib, and thinly sliced pork belly.

Six types of ready meals launched through collaboration between Emart24 and Chef Jongwon Son. Provided by Emart24.

Emart24 achieved notable results with ready meals developed in collaboration with Chef Son Jongwon, who is gaining attention for his "gentle and good-natured man" image. Since launching the collaborative ready meals with Chef Son Jongwon in November last year, Emart24 surpassed cumulative sales of 300,000 units in just 40 days. This marks the fastest and highest sales record among all chef collaboration products introduced by Emart24. With the airing of "Black and White Chef 2," sales accelerated even further, and in the third week after the broadcast on December 16 last year, sales increased by 8% compared to the previous week, and by 10% in the fourth week. To celebrate, Emart24 will hold a prize event starting January 15, offering prizes such as a 300,000 won Chosun Hotel voucher and Emart24 gift certificates.

Chef Son Jongwon is the only chef in Korea to have earned Michelin stars at two restaurants-"L’Amant Secret" and "Eatanic Garden"-among the 37 restaurants selected for the 2025 Michelin Guide Seoul. L’Amant Secret is located at Shilla Stay Hotel, part of the Shinsegae Group, while Eatanic Garden is at Josun Palace. Both restaurants open reservations at 9 a.m. on the first day of each month, and this month, all lunch and dinner slots were reportedly booked out within five minutes of opening.

GS25, the official sponsor of "Black and White Chef 2," plans to swiftly expand its lineup of collaborative products. As the official sponsor, GS25 has the advantage of actively utilizing the "Black and White Chef" intellectual property (IP) on packaging labels and in marketing. After Season 1, GS25 collaborated with Chef Edward Lee, selling a cumulative total of 1 million products. Additionally, the "Pyeonsujeo Series," developed through consecutive collaborations with show participants, including snacks and ready meals, has achieved cumulative sales of 4.5 million units. The "Sauvignon Lemon Blanc Highball," developed with Chef Ahn Sungjae, has maintained the top spot among highballs in convenience stores, with cumulative sales reaching 1.6 million cans.

CU plans to introduce a second "Chestnut Tiramisu" through chef collaborations. The "Chestnut Tiramisu Cup," developed with last season’s winner Chef Kwon Sungjun (Napoli Matpia), sold 2.5 million units, while the "Chestnut Tiramisu Fresh Cream Bread" sold 1.85 million units, establishing themselves as signature products for CU. CU is responding quickly to trends by partnering with Chef Kim Hoyoon, who appeared as "Kitchen Boss" in "Black and White Chef 2," to launch "Spring Vegetable Shrimp Porridge" and "Fresh Kimchi Dumplings," recreating dishes from the competition and aiming to benefit from Season 2’s popularity.

An industry insider from a convenience store chain commented, "With the products released after 'Black and White Chef' Season 1 selling so well, competition to secure chefs has been intense ever since news of Season 2 production broke. Given the global exposure and rewatch effect unique to the Netflix series, we expect the influx of related consumers to continue for some time."

e-commerce platforms are also seeking to capitalize on the "Black and White Chef 2" effect. In September last year, Kurly opened the "Gourmet Hall," featuring ready meals from chefs’ restaurants (RMR). Participating chefs include Jung Hoyoung, Kim Doyoon, Lee Jun, and Kim Hoyoon, all of whom appeared on "Black and White Chef 2." Following the broadcast of "Black and White Chef 2," sales of Chef Jung Hoyoung’s "Udon Kaden" increased by 143% year-on-year, while Chef Kim Doyoon’s "Yoon Seoul" saw a 286% increase. Overall, total sales of brands participating in Gourmet Hall rose by 110% compared to the previous year.

SSG.com is also strengthening its chef collaboration ready meal promotions. Since February last year, SSG.com has launched monthly ready meals in collaboration with chefs and plans to further ramp up such promotions starting next month. This month, SSG.com launched "Gnocchi Tteokbokki" and "Mushroom Tteokgalbi" ready meals in collaboration with Chef Kim Heeun, who appeared on "Black and White Chef 2."