Korean liquor in the U.S., Bibigo in Vietnam and Australia… CJ secures its "place" on the global stage

"'Jari' has a floral aroma but a dry and powerful finish. Sake can feel burning as you drink it, but Jari is clean and easy to drink."

On the 21st of last month (local time), at the restaurant "Hojokban LA" in Los Angeles, U.S., locals dining out raised their glasses and shared their impressions of the Korean distilled spirit "Jari." After taking a sip, they set down their glasses to describe the taste and aroma, and even offered drinks to their companions.

"Jari is smooth and refreshing, making it easy to drink. I think I will seek it out again," said Ms. Jan Caroline (26). She also often enjoys Korean food and named Galbi-tang as her favorite menu item. Conversations about Korean drinking culture also took place at Jari. Some attendees were aware of "Somaek," a mix of soju and beer. For foreigners unfamiliar with Korean liquor, Jari appeared to be a new beverage and a medium for communicating Korean food culture.

Jari is a brand launched this year by CJ CheilJedang to introduce Korean distilled spirits to the world. It takes its name from the Korean "jari," meaning a gathering where people come together to share drinks and food. It carries the meaning of connecting not only alcohol but also Korean drinking culture, food, and relationships between people.

This is also why CJ CheilJedang chose the U.S. as its first overseas market. It was judged suitable for introducing Korean distilled spirits because it is a hub for global gourmet and liquor trends, and K-Food consumption is increasing. Jari, which took its first step in the U.S. in September, is currently stocked in 16 local restaurants and liquor specialty stores in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, and other areas.

Behind this challenge lies the vision of "Global K-Lifestyle Leader" emphasized by CJ Group Chairman Lee Jae-hyun. It is an ambition for CJ to lead by filling daily life with content, food, and beauty. Jari carries the meaning of expanding the experience of placing Korean cuisine, such as mandu (dumplings) and kimchi, on the tables of people around the world through Bibigo, into traditional liquor. Since food and drink are elements that express a nation's culture, the plan is to broaden the touchpoints so that consumers who enjoy Korean food can also experience Korean liquor that suits it. It took three years to develop the brand. A CJ CheilJedang official stated, "Jari aims to be a platform for communicating the value of Korean distilled spirits to the world, not just a single product," adding, "We will help domestic breweries and distilled spirits enter overseas markets and allow people to experience Korean food culture in diverse ways."

CJ CheilJedang is also putting effort into expanding its business in Vietnam. At the center of this is the Kizuna factory located in Long An Province, southern Vietnam. Completed in 2022, it is a global production hub supplying K-Food not only to the Vietnamese domestic market but also overseas.

On September 17 (local time), when visiting the Kizuna factory, one had to change into hygiene uniforms and go through hygiene procedures for each area before entering the interior. Upon entering the spring roll production line in hygiene uniforms, machines were seen placing fillings on thinly spread wrappers and rolling them into a uniform shape. The formed spring rolls moved along conveyor belts to the next process. Automated equipment operated tirelessly from dough preparation to forming and frying. A factory official explained, "We are using equipment jointly developed with Korean equipment companies."

Unlike the production line with continuous automated equipment, workers in the packaging area were busy. They continued to pack finished spring rolls one by one into containers and arrange them neatly. It was explained that some processes are done manually because products can break and specifications required vary by export country.

On the mandu production line as well, formed products were moving to freezing and packaging processes. On the seaweed (gim) production line, workers inspected raw materials and picked out foreign objects. Seaweed imported from Korea was processed into finished products through sorting, metal detection, roasting, and seasoning. Inspection continued even after packaging was completed. A factory official said, "To prevent air from entering due to packaging defects, we inspect the sealing status at regular intervals."

This emphasis on quality control is because the Kizuna factory is a production hub supplying products to multiple countries. It is CJ CheilJedang's first overseas factory applying the Country-to-Country (C2C) model for production and export between nations. It supplies products not only to the Vietnamese domestic market but also to Southeast Asia and Oceania.

Kim Se-won, President of CJ CheilJedang Vietnam Food Corporation, plans to accelerate investment in automation to improve production efficiency. He said, "Labor costs are rising in Vietnam as well, and securing personnel is not as easy as before," adding, "Expanding automation technology further to increase production efficiency is an important task."

CJ CheilJedang plans to strengthen its position of K-Food in the Vietnamese domestic market while expanding exports using local production facilities. President Kim said, "Vietnam has good conditions for raw material supply and a favorable export environment," adding, "We will raise the position of K-Food in the domestic market while strengthening competitiveness in overseas markets."

On the 15th of last month (local time), in the frozen food corner of Woolworths Macquarie Park store, a discount store in Sydney, Australia, the packaging for "Bibigo Mandu" displays "Mandu," a direct translation of our word, instead of the English word "Dumpling." The back shows the proportion of Australian raw materials. It states that Bibigo Mandu (pork) is made with at least 70% Australian raw materials, and bite-sized "Pop Mandu" with at least 45%. This is a strategy reflecting the characteristics of Australian consumers who value domestic ingredients while maintaining the identity of Korean food.

CJ CheilJedang has been targeting the Australian market since 2022. Following the entry of Bibigo mandu into over 1,000 stores of Woolworths, the largest local discount store chain, in 2023, it expanded its sales network to Coles and others. Bibigo products, including mandu and frozen kimbap, are sold in approximately 3,300 stores, which is over 80% of the stores of Australia's four major distributors. Five years ago, they could only be found at Korean or Asian markets, but now they can be easily found anywhere.

The local production system has also been strengthened. After launching the locally produced "Bibigo Wang Gyoja" in 2023, it expanded its product range to include Pop Mandu and others, and launched "Bibigo Korean Style Chicken" last year. The widespread adoption of air fryers in Australian households is also contributing to the rise of Bibigo frozen foods. Bibigo chicken entered Woolworths last year and Coles in July this year.

Starting from the end of this year, Bibigo frozen tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) will be stocked in approximately 300 Woolworths stores. Following its establishment in the local frozen food market with mandu and chicken, introducing tteokbokki that consumers cook themselves brings Bibigo one step closer to Australian consumers' tables.