CJ CheilJedang announced on the 2nd that it has completed and started operations at its dumpling factory in Kisarazu City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. This is the first local production facility constructed by a domestic food company in Japan, and it will produce Bibigo dumplings on a state-of-the-art production line for distribution throughout Japan.
The Chiba Prefecture factory was built on a site of approximately 42,000 square meters, equivalent to the size of six soccer fields, with a total floor area of about 8,200 square meters, with an investment of about 100 billion won by CJ CheilJedang. Since 2020, CJ CheilJedang has been operating four dumpling factories in Osaka, Gunma, Akita, and Fukuoka after acquiring a local company, Gyoza Project. This is the first time in five years that it has established its own production facility.
CJ CheilJedang sees the Chiba Prefecture factory as an opportunity to grow in Japan's frozen dumpling market, which amounts to 1.1 trillion won annually. This is because gyoza-shaped dumplings similar to Bibigo dumplings account for half of the frozen dumpling market. In fact, as local consumer demand for Bibigo dumplings has increased, CJ CheilJedang's dumpling sales in Japan for the first half of this year rose by about 28% compared to the same period last year. During the same period, sales in Japan's food business also increased by about 27%.
Attending the opening ceremony were Kang Shin-ho, vice chairman of CJ CheilJedang, Gregory Yep, head of the food division, and other executives from CJ CheilJedang, as well as officials from Chiba Prefecture and Kisarazu City. Vice Chairman Kang noted, 'The Chiba Prefecture factory is an important step for the leap forward of our business in Japan and sustainable growth,' adding that 'through continuous challenges and innovations, we will accelerate the expansion of K-food territory in the global market.'
CJ CheilJedang, which is also expanding its production bases in the United States and Europe, plans to use the Chiba Prefecture factory as a new foothold to accelerate its efforts in the Japanese market. Earlier, Lee Jae-hyun, chairman of CJ Group, visited Japan for the first global site management of the year, emphasizing that 'the Korean Wave in Japan is a critical opportunity for the global spread of K-culture, and our prepared businesses like Bibigo must not miss this chance,' stating that 'we need to enhance our competitiveness through localization and the establishment of global infrastructure to advance as a global leading company.'
To target the Japanese market, CJ CheilJedang signed an agreement with Itochu Corporation's food division, a major trading company in Japan. Itochu Corporation is the parent company of the convenience store chain FamilyMart. The two companies plan to seek business expansion in overseas markets, including Japan.
A spokesperson from CJ CheilJedang said, 'We will establish a localization strategy for efficient materials and supplies procurement and product supply, and aim to scale up our business,' adding that 'we will develop Japan and the U.S. as key overseas markets.'