CJ CheilJedang (097950.KS) recently launched a new product, "Bibigo Crazy Hot Kimchi," in Thailand, expanding its global Bibigo kimchi portfolio. The move is seen as a strategy to tap new kimchi demand by targeting local consumers who have a strong interest in K-food and are accustomed to spicy dishes.
The new product delivers a spiciness more than 10 times that of regular Bibigo kimchi, making it the spiciest in CJ CheilJedang's domestic and overseas Bibigo kimchi lineup, excluding the domestic "wet kimchi." It is produced at a factory in Vietnam and exported to Thailand, where it is stocked at major distribution channels including convenience stores, large supermarkets and online malls.
The company explained that it developed the product after confirming the marketability of spicy kimchi through "wet kimchi," which was launched domestically in April last year. The wet kimchi blends spicy Vietnamese chili powder with domestic Cheongyang chili powder to deliver a spiciness 32 times stronger than regular Bibigo kimchi, in line with the spicy food trend that has spread mainly among the MZ generation. The initial volume sold out on the day it was pre-launched on Baemin B Mart, and the prepared volume was also exhausted in the morning on the day sales began at CJ The Market.
Thailand is regarded as a market where it is easy to gauge reactions to spicy kimchi, given its developed spicy food culture and high preference for K-food. In fact, related content from local consumers has spread spontaneously on social networking services (SNS) since the launch, with positive responses continuing. CJ CheilJedang plans to review the possibility of expansion to other countries in stages based on consumer responses and operational performance for the new product in the Thai market.
The launch is also seen as an extension of CJ CheilJedang's strategy of continuously expanding its lineup of locally tailored products in the global kimchi business. Bibigo kimchi is currently exported to about 50 countries including the United States, Japan, Vietnam, Europe and Australia. In particular, it maintains the No. 1 market share in Vietnam based on a local production system, and has successively introduced products reflecting each country's food culture and consumption trends, such as cilantro kimchi and vegan kimchi.
"We plan to continue expanding our presence in large distribution channels worldwide with a diverse portfolio, and to broaden brand awareness and consumer experiences through collaborations with K-content," a CJ CheilJedang official said.
