The American retail chain Trader Joe's has selected 'Honey Gochujang corn Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich' as the 'Recipe of the Year.' It is unusual for a dish using gochujang as a dessert or bakery ingredient to be chosen in the Western world. The food industry regards this as a representative example of the widespread adoption of Korean cooking methods.
According to the related industry on the 27th, Trader Joe's recently selected Honey Gochujang corn Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich as the Recipe of the Year. This event chooses the best recipe using five or fewer ingredients sold in Trader Joe's stores. It is held once a year.
The recipe selected this time involves making cookies by spreading gochujang on a corn-infused flour dough and filling the space between them with ice cream. This recipe is available on Trader Joe's official website and social media accounts.
A representative from the food industry said, "Trader Joe's is a large grocery retail company operating about 560 stores across the United States," adding, "There have been local responses such as comments mentioning they bought K sauce to try making the gochujang cookies."
The food industry views the selection of gochujang cookies as Trader Joe's Recipe of the Year as a signal for the globalization of K sauce. In fact, as more people are utilizing gochujang in cooking, exports are also increasing. According to the Korea Customs Service, the export value of gochujang in 2023 was $61.92 million (approximately 864 million won), a 17.8% increase from the previous year.
Additionally, the export value of K sauces, including gochujang, last year was $399.76 million (approximately 557.9 billion won). The export value, which was $189.61 million in 2016, has more than doubled in eight years. In the first half of this year, exports amounted to $211.89 million (approximately 295.7 billion won), and it is expected to exceed $400 million by the end of the year. A representative from the food industry noted, "In the past, exports were aimed at local Korean populations, making for a smaller market. Now, the atmosphere has changed."
The food industry is focusing its efforts on K sauce exports. Samyang Foods is expanding its overseas business with 'Buldak Sauce' at its core. Last year, Samyang Foods' overseas sales reached 1.3359 trillion won, a 65% increase from the previous year. Of this, Buldak brand exports accounted for 1.15 trillion won, reaching 77.3% of total sales.
Sempio Foods is concentrating on exporting gochujang-based sauces to over 50 countries including the United States and Europe. The proportion of Sempio's sauce exports to the U.S. is 23%. Organic gochujang and the 'Yeondu' brand products have gained popularity locally, leading to overseas sales surpassing 63 billion won last year.
Daesang is strengthening its market strategy for the 'Cheongjungwon Sunchang Gochujang.' According to Daesang Holdings, last year's overseas sales in the fermented sauce sector were around 170 billion won, with K sauce sales including gochujang accounting for more than 30%.
Theborn Korea is targeting local markets by including QR codes containing Korean recipes in export sauce packages. The approach provides an average of short-form menus and cooking methods for each sauce in about one minute. In addition, companies like ORION and CJ CheilJedang are diversifying export products using K sauces, launching customized new products incorporating gochujang in their processed foods.
Interest in content dealing with K food is also on the rise. According to FlixPatrol, a global online video service (OTT) aggregation site, on the 25th, the tvN weekend drama 'Bon Appetit, Your Majesty' ranked first in 41 countries worldwide. The episode's subtitle was 'Gochujang Butter Bibimbap,' and this recipe is spreading rapidly through X (formerly known as Twitter).
Experts believe this trend will provide growth opportunities for domestic food companies trapped in sluggish domestic demand. Professor Choi Cheol of the Consumer Economics Department at Sookmyung Women's University said, "Having local consumers develop recipes using K sauce directly correlates with the scalability of local markets," and noted, "As more consumers seek K food and K sauce, there is a high possibility of expanding the range of export products."