Driving for about 30 minutes from the center of Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, on the 27th of last month, GS25's newly constructed FF (Fresh Food) factory came into view. It took three years from site selection to completion, and this largest-scale FF factory in Mongolia has been fully operational since July. The facility, built on an 8,960 square meter site, consists of Building A, which handles raw material storage, cooking, packaging, freezing/refrigeration, distribution, and shipping all at once, and Building B, the logistics center.
After wearing protective suits, masks, and shoe covers, and passing through an air shower and a three-stage disinfection procedure, we entered the cooking area. The most prominent feature was the large 'Rice Plant' (automatic rice cooking equipment), around which the aroma of savory rice could be smelled. Once washed rice is transported via pipes into the pot, it automatically undergoes a process of soaking, cooking, and steaming for about one hour and 30 minutes. The factory consumes one ton of rice daily, amounting to two tons of cooked rice per day when water is included.
Freshly cooked hot rice is immediately transferred to a 'vacuum cooler' to prevent microbial growth, where it is cooled to 18 degrees Celsius. The rice was transported from Dangjin in Chungnam Province. Before this factory began operations, when manufacturing was outsourced to local companies, Japanese and Chinese rice was used. However, to offer 'real K-ready meals' consistent with domestic stores, 100% domestically produced rice was chosen. Along with this, key raw materials such as seaweed, pork (from Jeju), and tuna were also imported from Korea, and core sauces for bulgogi and jeyuk bokkeum (stir-fried pork) apply domestic recipes exactly.
Factory Manager Jo Chang-ho explained, "Initially, we attempted to localize raw materials to reduce costs, but there was a significant difference in quality, and given Mongolia's high import prices, the cost difference was not substantial." He added, "We determined that the right answer was to offer ready meals with the same chewiness and flavor as those sold in domestic stores."
The factory's maximum daily capacity is 100,000 units based on an eight-hour shift. Raw material preparation and cooking equipment utilize the latest automation machinery from Korea and Japan. If the installed equipment operates at 100% capacity, it can produce 28,800 triangle gimbap, 19,200 gimbap, over 22,000 bento boxes, over 17,000 sandwiches, and over 14,000 burgers daily. However, considering that production is in its initial stage and the skill level of local hired personnel, the current daily production volume is set at 40,000 units.
Due to the nature of ready meal manufacturing, human handling is required, making cleanliness management crucial. This is why a rigorous disinfection process is undergone before entry. On this day, about 40 workers in the cooking area were producing products divided into lines for gimbap, triangle gimbap, bento boxes, and sandwiches. Each product has a standard capacity set, and if it deviates from the appropriate range, it is automatically filtered out at the end of the production line. One could feel that taste, as well as hygiene and consistency, are important competitive advantages for ready meals.
Factory Manager Jo stated, "Currently, about 3,000 triangle gimbap and gimbap are produced per hour," adding, "As the number of stores increases, we can raise production capacity accordingly."
In a quality inspection room installed in one corner of the factory, researchers were conducting microbial tests by collecting samples from 31 items produced that day and placing them in high-temperature incubators set at 37 degrees and 44 degrees Celsius. Although formal certification has not yet been obtained, all production processes and quality control standards are applying Korean HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) criteria.
High-quality Korean-style raw materials are complemented by the culinary skills of top local chefs. Chef Sanchir, who was the mentor to the winner of Mongolia's famous cooking competition program 'Top Chef,' is in charge of overall production. A specialized ready meal reflecting the winning recipe from the competition is scheduled to be launched this month.
Meanwhile, GS25, which entered the Mongolian market in 2021, currently operates about 290 stores across Mongolia as of the end of September this year. Expanding stores beyond Ulaanbaatar to major regional cities such as Darkhan, it is expected to soon surpass 300 locations. Sales grew more than 25-fold from 4.167 billion won in 2021 to 107.167 billion won last year.
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