CJ CheilJedang bets on Japan with 1st local manufacturing plant

CJ CheilJedang has begun operations at its first manufacturing plant in Japan, marking the start of capacity expansion in its second-largest global market after the United States, the Korean company said, Tuesday. The plant, located in Kisarazu City, Chiba Prefecture, is dedicated to producing dumplings for its signature brand, Bibigo. CJ CheilJedang, the food manufacturing arm of CJ Group, invested 100 billion won ($72 million) in the facility, which sits on a 42,000-square-meter site. The new facility adds to CJ CheilJedang’s manufacturing presence in Japan, where it acquired local dumpling maker Gyoza Keikaku in 2020. They have since operated factories in Osaka, Gunma, Akita and Fukuoka prefectures. CJ CheilJedang said the Japanese dumpling market is worth over 1.1 trillion won annually and more than half of the market is for half-moon shaped gyoza-style dumplings, Bibigo's specialty. The company said that growing demand in Japan is expected to further boost its sales. In the first half of this year, its dumpling sales rose 28 percent from a year earlier, while its overall sales inWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times