CJ CheilJedang scales dumpling production in Japan with new plant

South Korean food giant CJ CheilJedang said Tuesday it has begun operating a new dumpling plant in Chiba prefecture, Japan, its first greenfield facility in the country aimed at scaling operations and localizing its frozen food business.

Built with a 100 billion won ($72 million) investment, the facility, situated on a 42,000-square-meter site, houses advanced production lines dedicated to manufacturing the company’s signature Bibigo dumplings for distribution across Japan.

Although CJ CheilJedang first entered the Japanese market in 2020 by acquiring local dumpling maker Gyoza Keikaku, through which it now operates four plants, the new facility marks the first dumpling production site built from the ground up by a Korean food manufacturer, the company explained.

At the opening ceremony, Vice Chair Kang Sin-ho called the plant “a crucial step” toward advancing and sustaining business growth in the Japanese market. “Through continuous innovation and bold investment, we will expedite the global expansion of K-food,” he said.

The new facility underscores CJ CheilJedang’s intent to ride the wave of Korean culture in Japan — its next strategic frontier after the US, where Bibigo has become the bestselling dumpling brand in the frozen aisle.

CJ Group Chairman Lee Jay-hyun also cast the current surge in Korean culture as “a prime opportunity” to deepen the company’s global presence when he visited Japan in April, urging the food division to accelerate localization efforts.

The food giant aims to capture a larger share of Japan’s frozen dumpling market, estimated at 1.1 trillion won annually, by fine-tuning its products to local tastes and forging on-the-ground partnerships.

“Our strategy is to replicate the successful US model in Japan,” a company official said. “We look to spark a Bibigo boom here too, with products adapted to local consumer preferences.”

As part of its push to strengthen local ties, CJ CheilJedang signed a business agreement with Itochu Corporation, one of Japan’s leading trading houses, on the sidelines of the opening ceremony.

The two companies will collaborate on global market expansion, including in Japan. Itochu brings to the table an extensive distribution network, including major retail players such as Nippon Access and FamilyMart.

CJ’s lineup of K-food products, ranging from dumplings to gimbap and sauces, is now available at major Japanese retailers including Aeon, Rakuten and Don Quijote.

In the first half of this year, CJ CheilJedang’s dumpling revenue in Japan climbed around 28 percent on-year, while overall food sales in the market rose 27 percent during the same period.