“LIMIT TWO (2) KIMBAP PER CUSTOMER THANK YOU!”
Last November, a picture surfaced on the American online community ‘Reddit,’ featuring a note on a Trader Joe’s gimbap display shelf. The image highlighted the popularity of frozen gimbap exported from Korea to the United States.
Currently, domestically produced frozen gimbap is supplied to major U.S. supermarkets like Trader Joe’s and Korean supermarkets such as H Mart. The demand for frozen gimbap is also on the rise in Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Last year, the export value of rice processed products, including frozen gimbap, instant rice, and frozen bibimbap, reached $97.77 million, doubling in three years compared to the $46.5 million recorded in 2020.
On the morning of Jan. 9, a Chosun Ilbo reporter visited the BokManSa factory in Hadong-gun, North Gyeongsang Province. Inside the factory, standing 3 meters tall and covering an area of 600 square meters, workers were placing hand-made gimbap into a rapid cooling machine. Approximately 40 minutes later, the fully frozen “Ueong (greater burdock) Yubu (fried tofu pockets) frozen gimbap” was ready. The company explained that this rapid freezing process allows for storage for up to 12 months.
In 2020, BokManSa made its inaugural export of frozen gimbap to Hong Kong, marking the first time for such an export from Korea. Currently, the company exports to 19 countries, including the U.S., the United Kingdom, Qatar, Indonesia, and others. Alongside BokManSa, there is a growing number of frozen gimbap export companies, such as Allgot.
BokManSa invested around two years in research and development (R&D) from 2018 to 2020 before frozen gimbap became an export commodity. Cho Eun-woo, 43, the CEO of BokManSa, emphasized the convenience of frozen gimbap for a quick meal, highlighting the diverse expertise embedded within. He shared that the inspiration to freeze Korean gimbap and sell it arose after learning about the popularity of frozen gimbap in Japan under the name ‘Norimaki’ (seaweed roll).
BokManSa encountered a significant challenge when it came to freezing regular gimbap, as the expansion of water during freezing often caused seams to burst. Through trial and error, BokManSa addressed this issue by avoiding ingredients with high moisture content, such as cucumbers. They also made sure that freshly cooked rice was cooled before being wrapped in seaweed. Additionally, BokManSa created specialized containers with a central space in each line of frozen gimbap, allowing it to be easily thawed in a microwave in just 3 minutes.
The frozen gimbap exported abroad is mostly vegan. This is because having meat inside could pose issues during export inspections. Companies like BokManSa have encountered the task of finding meat-like ingredients even in the absence of actual meat.
The outcome of this development is the well-received Ueong Yubu frozen gimbap in international markets. With a soy sauce coating on fried tofu pockets, it achieves a meat-like texture. The gimbap consists of ingredients like burdock, fried tofu, carrots, spinach, and pickled radish. It has gained a reputation among foreigners for a taste reminiscent of a ‘Bulgogi Burger.’
BokManSa’s frozen gimbap, alongside domestically produced frozen gimbap, is priced between $2.99 and $3.99 in the U.S. and other markets. This translates to approximately 5,000 won. The cost is comparable to the price of a café latte at New York Starbucks ($3.26). The popularity of these frozen gimbap options is also attributed to their favorable cost-effectiveness. When Allgot introduced 250 tons of frozen gimbap at Trader Joe’s in August of last year, it quickly sold out within a month.
