South Korean food company Daesang Corporation plans to construct a kimchi factory in Kraków, Poland, the Yonhap news agency reports. Kimchi is a traditional Korean delicacy, produced from fermented cabbage, salt, and hot pepper.
The company also announced that it had signed a joint venture agreement with Polish company Charsznickie Pola Natury, which specializes in making natural sauerkraut and traditional side dishes.
The joint venture company, Daesang ChPN Europe, will sell products from Daesang’s Jongga brand to retailers such as Carrefour, Auchan, and Lidl.
Jongga accounted for 60 percent of Korea’s kimchi exports in the first half of 2022.
Daesang announced that it will invest around €10.9 million in the construction of the kimchi factory in Kraków by the end of 2024. The site, covering over 6,600 cubic meters, is to produce up to 3,000 tons of kimchi per year.
The company already owns 11 kimchi factories, two of which are situated abroad, in China and the United States.
Daesang Corporation said it chose Poland as the hub for the expansion of its Jongga brand into the European market due to the availability of ingredients there and its proximity to other European countries.
Last year, Daesang exported €67 million worth of kimchi, 131 percent more than in 2016, with exports to Europe increasing by 20 percent each year since 2017.
