CJ Foods, a business unit of Korea-based CheilJedang, has recently launched the first halal bibigo Mandu products for the Malaysian market. The company hopes to introduce the taste of its signature bibigo Mandu, which holds the No.1 market share in Korea, the US and Vietnam.
The new products are 3 flavors of CJ’s first-ever JAKIM-certified halal Mandu – chicken, Korean spicy chicken, and beef bulgogi, and 2 flavors of Hoppang – japchae and Korean spicy chicken.
Mandu is Korean-wrapped food stuffed with various ingredients such as meat and vegetables. It is different from Chinese dumplings or Japanese gyoza in that it has thin and crispy flour skin with juicy stuffing. Hoppang is a popular Korean snack with vegetable or meat stuffing inside steamed bread. The snack is gaining global popularity as it is frequently featured in Korean dramas.
CJ’s new products are catered to the taste of Malaysian consumers by stuffing them with chicken mixed with strong spicy and sweet flavors. They will start retailing at CU convenience stores in Kuala Lumpur which specialise in Korean products, but will later expand to mainstream retailers within this year.
Wayne Wang, Head of CJ Foods Malaysia said, “We are thrilled to launch the first halal Mandu and share the taste of Korean cuisine with Malaysian consumers. We will continue to introduce a variety of our quality bibiho Korean food products to this market.” bibigo products are sold across around 70 countries globally, and the brand’s signature item ‘Mandu’ is sold in around 50,000 stores across 6 continents
Meanwhile, CJ CheilJedang, the parent company of CJ Foods, has been operating a plant in Kerteh, Malaysia since 2015 to manufacture advanced feed-grade amino acids such as L-methionine. The plant employs about 500 people, and amino acids produced here are exported to the global market including Europe and China.
