According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the industry, frozen kimbap manufactured domestically is supplied to large American supermarkets such as Trader Joe's and Korean supermarket H Mart. There is also a growing demand for frozen gimbap in Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Last year, exports of processed rice products such as frozen gimbap, instant rice, and frozen bibimbap were recorded at $97.78 million, which is approximately twice as high as $46.5 million in 2020.
Frozen Gimbap Production Plant
Meanwhile, the "People Who Make Fortune (Bokmansa)" factory is currently operating in Hadong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, and is 8m high and 600 pyeong in area. At the factory, employees are putting frozen kimbap into a quick chiller, and in about 40 minutes, the “Frozen Burdock Tofu Gimbap” is ready. Frozen kimbap can be stored for up to 12 months when frozen like this.
Frozen kimbap is distributed to many countries, mainly in the United States
Fumansa successfully exported its first frozen kimbap to Hong Kong in 2020. We are currently exporting our products to 19 countries, including the US, UK, Qatar, and Indonesia. In addition, the number of companies exporting frozen kimbap, such as Olgot in Gumi, Gyeongsangbuk-do, is increasing. It is based on research and development (R&D). Jo Eun-woo, CEO of Bokmansa, explained, “Frozen gimbap is known as a convenient meal, but in reality, it is an integration of various technologies and know-how.” He confirmed that frozen kimbap was gaining popularity in Japan as 'Norimaki (rolled seaweed)' and came up with the idea of selling Korean-style kimbap in a frozen state.
Development of technology that does not ruin the shape of gimbap if frozen
When manufacturing frozen kimbap, we had to overcome the weaknesses of regular kimbap. When water freezes, its volume increases, which sometimes causes frozen kimbap to burst on the side. After going through trial and error, Fuman Temple found a way to avoid using ingredients with high moisture, such as cucumbers. We also developed a technology to dry freshly cooked rice with seaweed in a cooler. We made frozen kimbap containers easier to use so that you can defrost frozen kimbap in a microwave in just 3 minutes.