CJ CheilJedang announced on the 10th that it recorded sales of 17.871 trillion won and operating profit of 1.323 trillion won last year. Compared to the previous year, sales decreased by 0.1%, while operating profit increased by 26%.
Sales in the fourth quarter reached 4.475 trillion won, a 2% increase compared to the previous year, while operating profit grew by 39.2% to 219.9 billion won.
CJ CheilJedang also disclosed its consolidated performance, including those of Korea’s Air Cargo Traffic Corporation. The sales totaled 29.3591 trillion won, with operating profit reaching 1.553 trillion won, indicating increases of 1.2% and 20.2%, respectively, compared to the previous year.
The food division generated sales of 11.353 trillion won (+0.8%) and operating profit of 620.1 billion won (-5.3%).
Despite a slowdown in domestic consumption and cost burdens impacting the domestic food business, sales dropped by 1.8% to 5.7716 trillion won. However, solid growth in key processed foods like Hetbahn and the expansion of online channel sales partially offset the underperformance.
Additionally, the introduction of differentiated new products such as "Gourmet Sobaba Chicken", "Whole Shrimp Dumplings", and "Whole Squid Dumplings" has been evaluated as securing new growth engines in the mature domestic market.
The overseas food business recorded sales of 5.5814 trillion won, accounting for 49.2% of total food sales.
CJ CheilJedang noted that this is the highest level ever, with last year’s focus on "expanding new territories for K-food" yielding positive results. Growth continued in major regions such as North America, Europe, and Australia. Global strategic products like kimchi (+38%), frozen rice (+22%), and dumplings (+18%) also saw significant increases in overseas sales.
In North America, CJ CheilJedang achieved sales of 4.7138 trillion won. The Bibigo dumplings, which hold the top market share in the North American market, maintained a leading position with more than a threefold difference over the second-place brand, while the Red Baron pizza brand also solidified its number one status.
In Europe, annual sales surpassed 100 billion won for the first time. CJ CheilJedang stated that accelerating entry into new countries, including France and Spain, and expanding its product offerings in major European retail channels have been effective.
In Australia, following Woolworths, the company achieved placement in Coles and IGA, establishing a foundation to sell Bibigo products in 80% of local major retailer outlets.
The bio division registered sales of 4.2095 trillion won (+1.8%) and operating profit of 337.6 billion won (+34.3%). The expansion of high-margin product sales, such as tryptophan, and the increase in specialty item sales contributed to improved profitability.
The sales proportion of specialty products, such as arginine, valine, isoleucine, and histidine, which are high-value items, reached an all-time high of 21% on an annual basis. The premium seasoning brand "TasteNRich" has secured new customers, including global alternative meat and seasoning manufacturers, driving the growth of specialty items.
The independent livestock feed company CJ Feed & Care recorded sales of 2.3085 trillion won and operating profit of 74.7 billion won. The rise in livestock prices in major business countries such as Indonesia and Vietnam, along with efforts to stabilize manufacturing costs, led to a switch to operating profit for the year.
CJ CheilJedang plans to expand its overseas market based on domestic mega-hit products like "Sobaba Chicken" and "Whole Shrimp Dumplings."
In the medium to long term, the company aims to accelerate the "expansion of K-food territory" through its new "North American Asian Food New Plant" located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, which aims to be operational by 2027, and a plant in Hungary expected to be operational next year.
The bio division plans to continue expanding sales of tryptophan and specialty products. As lysine prices, which had fallen due to low-priced competition from Chinese companies for several years, are expected to rebound sharply in the global market due to EU tariff impositions, the company aims to respond quickly to market changes.
A CJ CheilJedang official stated, "Based on the spirit of Only One, we will further accelerate global business expansion and quickly secure innovative growth engines to be responsible for future food supply."