In South Korea's 400 billion won dumpling market, the top two brands, CJ CheilJedang's Bibigo and Haetae Confectionery's Gohyang Mandu, both saw sales decline last year. Latecomer brands that differentiated themselves with dim sum and thin dumpling wrappers are rapidly closing in with double-digit growth rates, reshaping the mid-tier landscape.
According to food industry statistics from the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) released on the 18th, based on retail point-of-sale (POS) data (excluding online stores like large supermarkets), Bibigo ranked first last year with sales of 220.7 billion won, capturing a 53.2% market share. Gohyang Mandu came in second with sales of 54.2 billion won (13.1%). The two-power structure, where the top two brands hold about two-thirds of the market, remains intact. However, signs of cracks are beginning to appear. Gohyang Mandu's sales fell for three consecutive years: from 61.2 billion won in 2023 to 56.4 billion won in 2024, and down to 54.2 billion won last year, marking a two-year decline of 11.3%. Bibigo's sales rose from 201.4 billion won in 2023 to 226.6 billion won in 2024 but fell by 2.57% last year. Its market share also dropped from 55.6% in 2024 to 53.2% last year.
Data based on manufacturers shows a similar trend. Last year, CJ CheilJedang's dumpling sales fell by 1.09% year-on-year to 227.8 billion won, while Haetae Confectionery's sales dropped by 5.42% to 64.7 billion won. Haetae Confectionery has seen sales decline for three consecutive years since 72.4 billion won in 2023. In contrast, Pulmuone Foods (53 billion won) saw sales rise by 12.93%, Ottogi (35.1 billion won) by 17.37%, and Dongwon F&B (43.3 billion won) by 6.12%. Among the top five companies, only the number one and two brands—CJ CheilJedang and Haetae Confectionery—saw sales decline.
Competition among products ranked third to fifth is fierce. Dongwon F&B's "Dim Sum" recorded sales of 23.8 billion won last year, growing 15.61% year-on-year to claim third place. Its sales doubled in just two years, rising from 12 billion won in 2023. Ottogi's "X.O." also rose to fourth place with sales of 23.4 billion won last year, a 24.78% increase year-on-year and a 50.5% rise over two years compared to 15.5 billion won in 2023. In the mid-tier segment, Haram Industries' "Dumishik" stands out with strong growth. Dumishik's sales jumped from 800 million won in 2023 to 7.1 billion won in 2024 and reached 14.6 billion won last year. Its sales growth rate of 104.13% was the highest among the top ten brands. Pulmuone Foods' "Thin Wrapper Full" recorded sales of 17.9 billion won last year, up 38.07%, securing sixth place. Newly included in last year's statistics, Pulmuone Foods' "Fresh Dumplings" also entered the top ten with sales of 4.5 billion won.
Meanwhile, overall quantitative growth in the dumpling market has slowed. Total sales by dumpling brands rose from 375.4 billion won in 2023 to 407.7 billion won in 2024, an increase of 8.6%, but last year's growth was only 1.75% to reach 414.9 billion won.
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