Pulmuone’s Original Korean Kimchi Takes Market Share Crown in US

▲ Packaging designs of Pulmuone's Kimchi Products

Pulmuone’s original Korean kimchi is ranked No.1 by market share in US after its debut a year ago.

Pulmuone, a market leader in the fresh food category in South Korea, announced on 30th that Pulmuone’s kimchi, sold under the brand name “Nasoya” in US, now hold the largest market share at 40.4 percent of total kimchi sales in US’s biggest retailers such as Walmart, citing Nielsen’s retail data of August 2019.

Pulmuone, starting from the 0.7 percent market share in September 2018 when the company first entered US mainstream market, established a market leadership position in only one year, becoming the most-loved kimchi brand among US consumers.

The key to the achievement of Pulmuone’s market leadership has been its strategy of selling domestically produced original Korean kimchi in large chain retailers in US.

Since it first entered US market last year by netting a deal with 100 Walmart stores, Pulmuone has partnered with 3,900 Walmart locations, 1,100 Kroger supermarkets and other distribution channels. By hitting shelves of 10,000 stores in US, Pulmuone has set the stage for Korean kimchi to catch on with mainstream US consumers. Pulmuone kimchi are now being sold in grocery stores of cities, towns, and villages in major markets of US such as New York and Los Angeles.

Pulmuone’s kimchi is available in four different varieties - Kimchi Spicy (397g), Kimchi Mild (397g), Radish Kimchi Mild (397g) and White Kimchi Mild (411g).

Pulmuone Foods USA, a US headquarters of Pulmuone located in Gilroy, CA, is launching a campaign to raise consumer awareness of kimchi by introducing history, health benefits and recipes of the spicy staple dish through its official website: www.nasoyakimchi.com    

More recently, media events have been held in New York to promote the advantages and privileges of kimchi, and sampling events at various locations are scheduled to provide more opportunities for US consumers to experience the versatile Korean tangy fermented cabbage.

▲ Pulmuone’s Original Korean Kimchi Takes Market Share Crown in US

▲  Exterior View of the Global Kimchi Plant

Previous press releases on Pulmuone kimchi:

[Jun 26] Pulmuone’s Original Korean Kimchi to Expand to 10,000 Stores in US: http://www.pulmuone.co.kr/en/newsroom/viewPulmuoneNews.do?id=998

[Jun 26] Pulmuone Kimchi to Hit Shelves of 5,000 Walmart and Publix Stores in US: http://www.pulmuone.co.kr/en/newsroom/viewPulmuoneNews.do?id=994

[May 26] Pulmuone Opens a Smart Kimchi Plant to Kickstart Global Exports:

http://www.pulmuone.co.kr/en/newsroom/viewPulmuoneNews.do?id=993

About Pulmuone Co., Ltd.

Pulmuone, Korea’s leading company for wholesome foods, conducts business in a wide variety of areas, including functional foods, meal services, concession businesses, whole food distribution, mineral water, and fermented milk.

Pulmuone first entered overseas markets in 1991 by establishing a subsidiary in the U.S. Now with additional subsidiaries in China and Japan, and as an owner of U.S.’s #1 tofu brand Nasoya, the company is growing into a global enterprise.

About Pulmuone’s Global Kimchi Plant

Pulmuone has opened a smart kimchi manufacturing plant on May 24^th, 2019 to boost its global exports of the fermented traditional Korean side dish. The Global Kimchi Plant, a 30,000-square-meter facility located in Iksan, Korea, is expected to accommodate the growing demand for premium kimchi in the global markets with its annual capacity of 10,000 tons of kimchi variations including vegan napa cabbage kimchi, vegan napa cabbage white kimchi, vegan cubed radish kimchi, etc.

The new kimchi plant is equipped with modern technologies for its automated ingredient storage, processing, packaging and shipping. The entire manufacturing process is monitored by IP (Internet Protocol) cameras and IoT (Internet of Things) sensors to maintain temperature, humidity and salt concentrations at a constant level, and RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) technology is applied for real-time storage management to ensure the optimized fermentation of each of the products with different destinations including the U.S., China and Japan.

About Pulmuone’s Kimchi Museum Kimchikan

Pulmuone has provided major funding for the establishment and operation of the Museum Kimchikan, the nation’s first kimchi museum, since it opened in 1987. The museum has contributed to introducing tourists and visitors from around the world to kimchi, the Korean staple dish, and Kimjang, a culture of making and sharing kimchi which was recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013. The museum was also named one of the world’s 12 best food museums by Elle Decor, a U.S. global magazine, in 2017.