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CJ products hit the shelves in U.S. military commissaries in Guam

Published: 19 Feb. 2025, 17:16

KIM JU-YEON
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Soldiers try CJ CheilJedang's products at the food and beverage firm's launch event for its 14 items including tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) and plant-based dumplings at a U.S. commissary in Guam. [CJ CHEILJEDANG]

CJ CheilJedang started selling its popular processed Korean food products like plant-based dumplings and instant rice in U.S. commissaries in Guam, and plans to expand its presence to other U.S. military bases around the world.

CJ started selling 14 products across four categories — tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), cup bap (mixed rice in a cup), vegetarian dumplings and instant rice — at two commissaries in Guam on Jan. 23, the food and beverage firm said Wednesday.

The company said it chose microwavable products that can be consumed immediately after reheating to sell at the commissaries in consideration of the lack of cooking facilities on military bases.

CJ started selling its plant-based dumplings within U.S. military bases in Korea in April 2024. Products that contain meat can only be sold at U.S. military bases if the protein is grown in the United States.

The firm also started selling tteokbokki at the Pyeongtaek and Osan commissaries from last August after the dumplings proved to be popular, CJ said. Over 20,000 units of the dumplings and tteokbokki have been sold at the military bases so far.

CJ aims to sell its products at U.S. military bases in Japan, Hawaii and Alaska and expand its portfolio to include frozen rice products including gimbap (seaweed rice rolls) and fried rice as well as Korean street food like fried seaweed rolls — a side dish commonly served with tteokbokki.

As of 2019, the U.S. Defense Commissary Agency had 236 commissaries in operation in 13 countries and two U.S. territories. The agency made $4.5 billion in sales that year.

BY KIM JU-YEON [[email protected]]