Walkerhill Hotel & Resort said on the 20th that it exported its premium kimchi brand SUPEX kimchi to the United States for the first time.
The shipment consists of three varieties—baechu kimchi (napa cabbage kimchi), pa kimchi (green onion kimchi), and gat kimchi (mustard leaf kimchi)—totaling about 1 ton of 1-kilogram products. After passing through the Port of Long Beach in California, sales will begin locally on the 31st.
Following its first export of Walkerhill Hotel kimchi to the United States last year, Walkerhill expanded its sales channels across the United States this year and entered the Australian market in March. Before this SUPEX kimchi export, it conducted two local sample tests last year to gauge market response.
It also improved the recipe and packaging for overseas export. Instead of the previous broth made with premium Korean beef, known as hanwoo brisket, it applied a proprietary stock made with mushrooms and vegetables. The existing pouch packaging was changed to a Can Seamer container that releases fermentation gas while blocking external air inflow.
Since April this year, Walkerhill has also been airing TV commercials for Walkerhill Hotel kimchi on over-the-air channels in the Los Angeles area and on satellite broadcasting in the Americas. Including this shipment, Walkerhill kimchi's cumulative overseas export volume stands at 70 tons as of this month. It is also pushing to enter key Asian markets such as Japan.
Lee Hui-taek, Walkerhill's store team leader, said, "Since last year, we have been preparing to secure overseas sales channels and develop markets for SUPEX kimchi," and added, "We will do our best so that overseas customers can experience Walkerhill's kimchi brand in diverse ways and expand into more countries."