The popularity of Frozen Gimbap in the U.S.
Product of small and medium-sized enterprise ‘Olgaht’ in Gumi, Gyeongbuk
Production capacity increased tenfold
Last summer, a ‘Frozen Gimbap’ craze swept across popular organic stores in the U.S. After local TikTokers posted reviews of the frozen gimbap, it quickly sold out due to word of mouth. Information about where it can be purchased and when it will be restocked was also shared.
This Frozen Gimbap was made by a small and medium-sized company ‘Olgaht’ in Gumi, Gyeongbuk. Last year, they shipped 250 tons by boat, which sold out across the U.S.
Lee Ho-jin, the CEO of Olgaht, announced plans to increase the production capacity tenfold to meet the skyrocketing demand for Frozen Gimbap. By the first half of next year, when the expansion investment is completed, the daily production of gimbap will increase from 30,000 to 300,000 pieces.
The CEO said, “We’ve been shipping out one container every two days, a little over 50,000 pieces. But every time we ship, it sells out. We could sell everything we produce, but we’re running short on quantity.”
However, it’s still operating at a loss. This is because more than 10 billion won (approx $8.5 million) has been poured into research and development costs, such as rapid freezing at -45 degrees Celsius, patent applications for three-tier containers to maintain the texture of the gimbap, and facility investments. Once the expansion is completed, they hope to expand their domestic supply. They only supply to a few distributors like Shinsegae SSG.com under the Baba Gimbap.
Next year, it will also be available at Costco, a major U.S. retailer.
Olgaht plans to introduce a variety of processed foods made from rice in addition to gimbap. They said, “We plan to export foods that are hard to find overseas, like bibimbap and rice cake skewers, using freezing technology. We will diversify our export countries to the U.S., Germany, and Southeast Asia.”
By. Joo Seung Hee
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