Chefs in spotlight amid HMR fever

GS Retail chefs and food researchers pose for a group photo at the company's food research institute, Dec. 19. / Courtesy of GS Retail

By Kwak Yeon-soo

CJ CheilJedang, Pulmuone and other food companies employ professional chefs who aid in the development of a variety of home meal replacement (HMR) dishes that satisfy the growing demand for quick, easy-to-prepare meals, according to company officials Tuesday.

An increasing number of single-person households here has been fueling the HMR market.

According to data from Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation, the HMR market is expected to exceed 4 trillion won this year from 3.2 trillion won in 2018. It forecast the market will reach 5 trillion won by 2023.

“Korea's HMR market is currently in the middle of the expansion phase of four stages of business growth: beginning, expansion, maturation and development,” an analyst at Euromonitor International Korea said.

To offer more palatable options, food companies enlist the services of professional chefs.

CJ CheilJedang, Korea's largest food company, currently has 13 professional chefs, all of whom are regular workers that engage in HMR menu development.

“Our chefs include those who have worked in five-star hotels,” a CJ CheilJedang official said. “They are deeply involved in the menu development processes, from product planning to recipe development.”

With the help of their chefs, CJ CheilJedang launched a meal kit service called COOKIT to extend its HMR business. The company is aiming to boost COOKIT sales to 100 billion won ($85 million) in the next three years.

However, the official said the company has no immediate plans to increase the number of chefs. “What's more important than the number of chefs is their culinary skills,” the official said.

CJ CheilJedang's chefs are in talks with food researchers at the company's headquarters, Dec. 11. / Courtesy of CJ CheilJedang

GS Retail has eight chefs who work on developing new menus. The retailer jumped into the HMR market by launching a meal kit service called Simply Cook in 2017.

“Once the product merchandiser completes product planning, chefs develop recipes and optimize them for mass production. Above all, offering differentiated tastes is the chefs' core responsibility,” a GS Retail official said.

Pulmuone, another food company, said they scout professional chefs by types of cuisines and experience ― more than 10 years of.

“There are currently five chefs at Pulmuone, and their main duty is to develop menus that taste great,” a Pulmuone official said. “It takes about six months to two years to develop a new menu.”

The official added that the company is open to collaboration with star chefs for potential new menus, inviting them for tasting events.