CJ Cheiljedang to invest $72 mil. in new Japanese dumpling plant

This photo provided by CJ Cheiljedang, Thursday, shows a rendered image of the company's new Japanese plant scheduled to be finished later in the year. Yonhap

Korean food company CJ Cheiljedang said Thursday it will invest 100 billion won ($72 million) to build its fifth plant in Japan as part of its global expansion strategy.

The company plans to complete construction of the new dumpling plant by July, with operations scheduled to begin in September to serve the local market, it said in a press release.

CJ Cheiljedang currently operates four frozen dumpling plants in the neighboring country.

"The resurgence of the Korean Wave in Japan presents a decisive opportunity for the company to strengthen its presence in the Japanese market. We will accelerate localization efforts and strengthen our local production infrastructure to become a global leading company," CJ Group Chairman Lee Jae-hyun said in the release.

Japan's frozen dumpling market is estimated to be worth 1.1 trillion won.

Sales in CJ Cheiljedang's food division surged 42 percent to 11.35 trillion won in 2024, up from 8.01 trillion won in 2019.

The share of overseas sales in its total food revenue also rose to 49 percent, or 5.58 trillion won, up from 39 percent over the same period.

CJ Cheiljedang currently has a total of 33 overseas plants -- 20 in the United States, four in Japan, four in China, three in Vietnam, one in Germany and one in Australia. It also runs 11 domestic plants.

The company is additionally building new production facilities in Hungary and the U.S. state of Dakota, the release said.