Pulmuone takes the U.S. kimchi market by storm

Pulmuone topped the kimchi market in the United States just a year after debuting there.

The food company on Monday said its kimchi market share at major U.S. retailers jumped from 0.7 percent in August last year to 40.4 percent as of August this year, citing market research firm Nielson.

The second and third ranked are the local companies from the United States, and they sold 11.6 percent and 9.4 percent respectively.

Pulmuone said the product description, which indicates its kimchi is from Korea, greatly helped the sales performance. The fact that its kimchi is made from Korean cabbage also contributed to the sales, according to the firm.

Pulmuone built a global kimchi factory in Iksan, North Jeolla, and exports kimchi to the United States from the Korean factory.

The company entered 100 Walmart stores last year, and gradually expanded to a total of some 10,000 stores, including 3,900 Walmart stores and 1,100 Publix stores.

“Pulmuone will continue to develop Korean kimchi that matches the taste of American consumers with the goal of expanding the kimchi market [in the United States], and ultimately debuting in China, Japan and other countries to become the top global kimchi maker,” said Pulmuone’s kimchi category manager Lee Jun-hwa.

By Jin Min-ji