Pulmuone's Tuna KimBap set for China rollout in Sam's Club

Pulmuone's Tuna KimBap will hit the shelves in China through warehouse retailer Sam's Club in a bid to expand the K-food industry in the country.

A customer holds Pulmuone’s “Tuna KimBap” product at a Sam's Club sotre. [PULMUONE]

Having taken the United States by storm, frozen gimbap (a seaweed rice roll) is now making inroads in the Chinese market, with Pulmuone’s Tuna KimBap being the latest example to hit the shelves at Sam's Club, the largest membership-only warehouse retailer in China.

The fresh food firm announced on Sept. 12 that it has begun selling its frozen gimbap brand, Tuna KimBap, through major retail channels across China. This strategic move represents a significant expansion beyond its core tofu and pasta product lines and marks the first time a Korean company has exported this type of product to the country.

Unlike the U.S. market, where Korean food companies have been exporting frozen gimbap for some time, the product was previously absent from mainstream Chinese retail channels. Pulmuone, recognizing the potential for frozen seaweed rice rolls to promote K-food to the Chinese market, approached Sam's Club with a proposal that the retailer immediately embraced.

Sam's Club, with its extensive network of 49 locations across China, offers an ideal outlet for Pulmuone, which aims to export approximately 136,000 packs of frozen seaweed rolls by the end of September and 620,000 packs annually to reach a wide consumer base.

Pulmuone’s frozen seaweed rice roll product “Tuna KimBap” [PULMUONE]

The Korean Embassy in China and the Korea Agro-Fisheries Trade Corporation played a crucial role in facilitating the export process. Their support helped Pulmuone expedite the registration procedures in China for overseas food manufacturers.

Pulmuone plans to further leverage the trade agency's export support programs to continue expanding the reach of K-food.

"Pulmuone is committed to introducing high-quality K-street food products to global markets, including China, and enhancing our brand value," said Yun Sung-won, manager of Pulmuone's Chinese division. "Based on the performance of frozen gimbap in Sam's Club, we plan to expand distribution to other channels and grow the Korean rice meal category. We aim to make this frozen gimbap export a milestone in our efforts to dominate the Chinese frozen K-street food market."

BY YOON SEUNG-JIN [yoon.seungjin@joongang.co.kr]