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[Dong-A Ilbo] Targeting global market with 'K-sauce' made using traditional fermentation methods
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woomtree
Date
2024-11-14 10:20
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https://n.news.naver.com/article/020/0003572251?sid=101
Photos from the Costco Roadshow event in Sunnyvale, California, USA. Courtesy of Woomtree
A tasting event held at a large retailer Costco in Sunnyvale, California in early February. An American couple who tasted gochujang and ssamjang from the domestic food brand Woomtree for the first time said, “Our teenage children love K-pop and K-food, so they became interested in Korean culture and food.” They continued, “When we tried the K-sauce with vegetables, it had a completely different appeal from the Chinese and Vietnamese sauces we had tried before, so we put it in our cart without hesitation.”
Woomtree Co., Ltd. is a company that has been producing various items such as soy sauce, sauce, and spices for half a century since its establishment. It is an unsung hero who has taken the lead in growing the 'roots' and laying the 'cornerstone' of K-sauce manufacturing. Following Costco, Woomtree products will also be exported to Walmart online starting in July.
Overseas expansion of sauce industry provides new growth engine
Woomtree product photo.
The local food company Woomtree is putting its heart and soul into conquering the global market with the addictive taste of authentic Korean sauces, led by authentic soy sauces and sauces. This means that the company has enough international competitiveness to not back down even in the face of the onslaught of multinational sauce companies. It is a good example of so-called 'covilization', which means globalizing the Korean business success model.
Since its establishment in 1978, Woomtree has been producing over 130 products including vinegared hot pepper paste, stir-fried red pepper paste, sauces, premixes, and spices. Among them, wasabi and vinegared hot pepper paste are the top brands in domestic market share, and the two products have become Woomtree's main products.
Among Woomtree sauces, the 'Wasabi Mix' product, which combines soy sauce and wasabi (horseradish) in the best flavor, is popular overseas. It won a gold medal at the 20th World Food & Beverage Championships in Dusseldorf, Germany, with 112 countries participating, and also won a gold medal at the 30th International Quality Management Conference in Paris, France, with 120 countries participating.
As demand for home cooking has increased significantly due to recent high prices, sauces have become a key item in the home meal replacement (HMR) business, which is also driving Woomtree's growth.
Woomtree's signature products, such as Beef Stir-Fry Gochujang and Steak Sauce, are especially popular among single-person households and young couples because they make it easy to make a delicious meal.
In the first half of this year, we are leading the healthy consumption trend by launching low-sugar (5g or less sugar per 100g) vinegared hot pepper paste with reduced sugar content compared to existing products.
The domestic and international sauce markets are also growing rapidly by more than 10% each year, so the business outlook is also bright. According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the domestic sauce shipment amount increased by more than 30% in three years, from 3.507 trillion won in 2019 to 4.113 trillion won in 2022.
The same goes for overseas markets. The Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) predicted that the global sauce and seasoning market size will increase from $36.9 billion (about 51 trillion won) in 2021 to $41 billion (about 57 trillion won) last year and reach $59.5 billion (about 82.5 trillion won) in 2030. Fermented foods are leading the global food trend and domestic and foreign consumers are also accepting various sauces without hesitation due to the increasing demand for convenient food, so the market is expected to expand further.
Taste, variety, and authentic fermentation are the secrets to success
The domestic sauce market is a fierce battleground where numerous brands are fighting fiercely. In the fierce red ocean, they have continuously pioneered a blue ocean. The secret is their unique excellent taste, diverse product line, and traditional fermentation method.
Gochujang, the basic base for over 20 Woomtree product sauces, is made using a unique fermentation method. It is characterized by a deep flavor that is brought out through long-term fermentation for 25 to 30 days at an optimal temperature of 20 to 25 degrees in a 3m underground fermentation tank that minimizes temperature changes.
The large fermentation maturation tank, which can mature over 1,300 tons of raw red pepper paste at once, maintains a temperature of 20-25 degrees all year round, making it optimal for fermentation maturation of soy sauce. Even the slight temperature difference between the inside and outside of the fermentation maturation tank is not overlooked. For temperature control, each fermentation storage tank undergoes a uniform stirring process and maintains a uniform temperature, achieving equalization of taste and quality.
Gochujang, which has undergone a fermentation and maturation process under optimal conditions, is sterilized in a saccharification pot for over an hour, cooled, and packaged as a final product after strict quality inspection.
The wasabi products that continue to be the best-selling in the domestic market also contain Woomtree’s unique technology of grinding raw roots that are hard to find in competing brands. They are sparing no effort in continuous product development and investment targeting various consumer groups, such as launching meat n raw wasabi and creamy raw wasabi products that go well with meat.
“Giving back a portion of corporate profits to the local community and living together”
Woo-Taek Kim, CEO of Woomtree, is an entrepreneur who also has a special interest in the education of students. He is working hard to foster local talent in Pocheon, where his headquarters is located. His giving back a portion of his company’s profits to the local community and his love for education stems from his belief that the only resource our country can offer is people. Accordingly, he provides various support to all walks of life, including scholarships, donations to the underprivileged, disaster relief funds, and sports development funds every year. This is because he believes that future generations should be raised as the driving force of the nation’s growth.
CEO Kim said, “Woomtree, which has been around for half a century, is focusing on pioneering new markets in the global market, including North and Central America and Europe, to grow into a representative K-sauce brand.”
- [Stock&Biz] Woomtree Co., Ltd.
Photos from the Costco Roadshow event in Sunnyvale, California, USA. Courtesy of Woomtree
Representative Kim Woo-taek
As K-food gains attention in the global market, the export outlook for the sauce market, which is in the latter stages of food industry growth, is also brightening.
As K-food gains attention in the global market, the export outlook for the sauce market, which is in the latter stages of food industry growth, is also brightening.
A tasting event held at a large retailer Costco in Sunnyvale, California in early February. An American couple who tasted gochujang and ssamjang from the domestic food brand Woomtree for the first time said, “Our teenage children love K-pop and K-food, so they became interested in Korean culture and food.” They continued, “When we tried the K-sauce with vegetables, it had a completely different appeal from the Chinese and Vietnamese sauces we had tried before, so we put it in our cart without hesitation.”
Woomtree Co., Ltd. is a company that has been producing various items such as soy sauce, sauce, and spices for half a century since its establishment. It is an unsung hero who has taken the lead in growing the 'roots' and laying the 'cornerstone' of K-sauce manufacturing. Following Costco, Woomtree products will also be exported to Walmart online starting in July.
Overseas expansion of sauce industry provides new growth engine
Woomtree product photo.
The local food company Woomtree is putting its heart and soul into conquering the global market with the addictive taste of authentic Korean sauces, led by authentic soy sauces and sauces. This means that the company has enough international competitiveness to not back down even in the face of the onslaught of multinational sauce companies. It is a good example of so-called 'covilization', which means globalizing the Korean business success model.
Since its establishment in 1978, Woomtree has been producing over 130 products including vinegared hot pepper paste, stir-fried red pepper paste, sauces, premixes, and spices. Among them, wasabi and vinegared hot pepper paste are the top brands in domestic market share, and the two products have become Woomtree's main products.
Among Woomtree sauces, the 'Wasabi Mix' product, which combines soy sauce and wasabi (horseradish) in the best flavor, is popular overseas. It won a gold medal at the 20th World Food & Beverage Championships in Dusseldorf, Germany, with 112 countries participating, and also won a gold medal at the 30th International Quality Management Conference in Paris, France, with 120 countries participating.
As demand for home cooking has increased significantly due to recent high prices, sauces have become a key item in the home meal replacement (HMR) business, which is also driving Woomtree's growth.
Woomtree's signature products, such as Beef Stir-Fry Gochujang and Steak Sauce, are especially popular among single-person households and young couples because they make it easy to make a delicious meal.
In the first half of this year, we are leading the healthy consumption trend by launching low-sugar (5g or less sugar per 100g) vinegared hot pepper paste with reduced sugar content compared to existing products.
The domestic and international sauce markets are also growing rapidly by more than 10% each year, so the business outlook is also bright. According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the domestic sauce shipment amount increased by more than 30% in three years, from 3.507 trillion won in 2019 to 4.113 trillion won in 2022.
The same goes for overseas markets. The Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) predicted that the global sauce and seasoning market size will increase from $36.9 billion (about 51 trillion won) in 2021 to $41 billion (about 57 trillion won) last year and reach $59.5 billion (about 82.5 trillion won) in 2030. Fermented foods are leading the global food trend and domestic and foreign consumers are also accepting various sauces without hesitation due to the increasing demand for convenient food, so the market is expected to expand further.
Taste, variety, and authentic fermentation are the secrets to success
The domestic sauce market is a fierce battleground where numerous brands are fighting fiercely. In the fierce red ocean, they have continuously pioneered a blue ocean. The secret is their unique excellent taste, diverse product line, and traditional fermentation method.
Gochujang, the basic base for over 20 Woomtree product sauces, is made using a unique fermentation method. It is characterized by a deep flavor that is brought out through long-term fermentation for 25 to 30 days at an optimal temperature of 20 to 25 degrees in a 3m underground fermentation tank that minimizes temperature changes.
The large fermentation maturation tank, which can mature over 1,300 tons of raw red pepper paste at once, maintains a temperature of 20-25 degrees all year round, making it optimal for fermentation maturation of soy sauce. Even the slight temperature difference between the inside and outside of the fermentation maturation tank is not overlooked. For temperature control, each fermentation storage tank undergoes a uniform stirring process and maintains a uniform temperature, achieving equalization of taste and quality.
Gochujang, which has undergone a fermentation and maturation process under optimal conditions, is sterilized in a saccharification pot for over an hour, cooled, and packaged as a final product after strict quality inspection.
The wasabi products that continue to be the best-selling in the domestic market also contain Woomtree’s unique technology of grinding raw roots that are hard to find in competing brands. They are sparing no effort in continuous product development and investment targeting various consumer groups, such as launching meat n raw wasabi and creamy raw wasabi products that go well with meat.
“Giving back a portion of corporate profits to the local community and living together”
Woo-Taek Kim, CEO of Woomtree, is an entrepreneur who also has a special interest in the education of students. He is working hard to foster local talent in Pocheon, where his headquarters is located. His giving back a portion of his company’s profits to the local community and his love for education stems from his belief that the only resource our country can offer is people. Accordingly, he provides various support to all walks of life, including scholarships, donations to the underprivileged, disaster relief funds, and sports development funds every year. This is because he believes that future generations should be raised as the driving force of the nation’s growth.
CEO Kim said, “Woomtree, which has been around for half a century, is focusing on pioneering new markets in the global market, including North and Central America and Europe, to grow into a representative K-sauce brand.”
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