CJ CheilJedang (097950.KS) is launching Calvo, a Spanish canned-seafood brand, in the South Korean market, part of a strategy to target the seafood protein segment in step with consumer demand for health and nutrition.
The company said it would begin domestic sales of Calvo on the 12th. Calvo is a Spanish brand that has made canned seafood for more than 80 years, supplying products to 66 countries through a systematically managed process spanning selection, processing and distribution after the catch.
The products being introduced are olive-oil tuna and sunflower-oil tuna. Both use only tuna, oil and salt as ingredients. The olive-oil product uses Spanish olive oil, while the sunflower-oil product uses European sunflower oil.
Because no separate seasoning liquid is added, the tuna can be eaten straight from the can without draining. It suits a range of dishes, including salads, sandwiches, pasta and crackers. The company said it had improved the ease of opening by adopting an Easy Flip design, in which a film is peeled off, instead of the metal lid commonly used on conventional tuna cans.
CJ CheilJedang began selling Calvo olive-oil tuna through Lotte Homeshopping last month, when the roughly 2,500 sets prepared sold out about an hour after the broadcast began. Online, recipe content using Calvo, such as tuna pasta and sandwiches, is also spreading.
Sales channels will expand to large discount stores and department stores, in addition to online outlets such as CJ The Market, Kurly, Coupang and B Mart. Through September 1, CJ The Market will discount the products by up to 40% to mark the brand launch and will offer reward points and free gifts to buyers.
A CJ CheilJedang official said, "With Calvo leading the way, we will secure demand for premium seafood products differentiated from existing tuna offerings and continue to expand our protein-focused product lineup."
