Why did Daesang’s Jongga brand partner with Michelin-starred chef Corey Lee to launch San Ho Won Kimchi in the United States?

Daesang Corporation, one of South Korea’s most prominent food conglomerates, has partnered with Michelin 3-star chef Corey Lee to launch a premium kimchi line under its flagship Jongga brand in the U.S. market. The new offering, branded as San Ho Won Kimchi, was rolled out in January 2025 and has already gained traction among American consumers seeking gourmet Korean culinary experiences.

This high-profile collaboration signifies a calculated move by Daesang to elevate the global perception of kimchi, especially within the United States—a key market where Korean cuisine is witnessing rising popularity. Chef Corey Lee, the first Korean to achieve three Michelin stars, brings his fine-dining pedigree and cultural culinary vision to the partnership. The launch introduces two premium variants—Original Kimchi and Baek Kimchi—crafted using a blend of Jongga’s 38-year fermentation legacy and Chef Lee’s refined approach to Korean gastronomy.

Jongga is Daesang’s global kimchi brand and has long been a standard-bearer of commercialized kimchi production. The brand has capitalized on global K-food momentum by localizing production, marketing gourmet variants, and targeting younger health-conscious consumers through probiotic-rich fermented offerings.

What are the key features of the new San Ho Won Kimchi products that differentiate them in the competitive U.S. market?

The San Ho Won Kimchi line features two distinct styles tailored for flavor depth, convenience, and premium presentation. The Original Kimchi variant stands out with its rich and spicy flavor, elevated by ingredients such as cheonggak, a mineral-rich seaweed, and a robust vegetable broth. This formulation deepens the umami quality while retaining traditional spice.

In contrast, Baek Kimchi—or white kimchi—is crafted using a low-fermentation method designed to age gradually, creating a crisp texture and mild tanginess. Apple is used as a natural sweetener, bringing balance to the tartness and offering a refreshing, subtly sweet broth. Both versions are packaged in pre-cut, resealable 680-gram pouches, ensuring ease of use and optimal shelf-life for modern consumers.

The kimchi is now available at H Mart locations nationwide and is set to expand to online platforms, indicating Daesang’s dual-channel retail strategy aimed at penetrating both physical grocery retail and e-commerce in North America.

How has Jongga’s strategy evolved globally and what role does the U.S. market play in its kimchi export operations?

Jongga has taken bold steps in recent years to expand its presence in global markets, with the United States emerging as a key strategic region. The brand first made history in 2022 by establishing a large-scale kimchi production facility in the U.S.—a move that enabled it to localize production, reduce logistics costs, and cater to regional taste preferences more efficiently.

Globally, Daesang’s kimchi export revenue has soared, growing from $29 million in 2016 to $93.9 million in 2023. Analysts attribute this growth to Daesang’s proactive efforts in aligning kimchi with global wellness trends, emphasizing its probiotic content and immune-supporting benefits. In 2025, Jongga is expected to cross the symbolic threshold of $100 million in export volume, a milestone that would make it the first single kimchi brand to achieve such scale.

The United States accounts for a significant share of this volume. Beyond its retail strategy, Daesang’s marketing has adapted to the American palate by highlighting both authenticity and culinary versatility. Institutional investors tracking the growth of Korean exports regard the U.S. as a testbed for Jongga’s brand elasticity and innovation potential.

What does the collaboration with Corey Lee reveal about Jongga’s long-term brand positioning and premiumization strategy?

The strategic alignment with Chef Corey Lee underscores Jongga’s intent to reposition kimchi not merely as an ethnic side dish but as a gourmet ingredient worthy of high-end culinary spaces. Chef Lee operates both the three-Michelin-starred restaurant Benu and the Michelin-starred San Ho Won in San Francisco, giving him a unique cross-market culinary footprint. His restaurants, particularly San Ho Won, emphasize Korean-American cultural fusion—a theme echoed in the kimchi collaboration.

With the San Ho Won Kimchi line now replacing the house kimchi at Chef Lee’s restaurant, Daesang is embedding the product within a premium experiential dining context. The collaboration also involved a behind-the-scenes promotional video released on O’Food and Jongga’s YouTube channel, designed to build brand storytelling around ingredient sourcing and chef-driven innovation.

According to market observers, the use of a star chef in product development is part of a broader trend in Asian food branding, where heritage foods are being reimagined for upscale grocery shelves and culinary stages. Analysts expect similar brand extensions from Jongga in other culinary formats such as sauces, ready-to-eat meals, and pickled accompaniments.

What are Daesang’s future growth targets and geographic expansion plans for Jongga Kimchi in the next phase of globalization?

Daesang is actively building its capacity and distribution to meet rising global demand. With current distribution in more than 80 countries, including across Europe, the Americas, and parts of Asia like Taiwan and Hong Kong, the company is investing in scalable production and logistics hubs. A new manufacturing facility is being planned in Poland, which will serve as the continental base for Jongga’s European expansion.

Jongga’s long-term strategy includes broadening product portfolios that reflect local preferences while preserving fermentation science and Korean identity. The expansion is also data-driven—Daesang leverages consumer trend monitoring and shelf-space optimization models in grocery retail to expand reach.

Institutional confidence remains high, especially as Jongga’s success aligns with broader trends of functional foods, fermented wellness products, and plant-forward diets. Analysts predict that Daesang will continue leveraging its biotech capabilities in fermentation to produce differentiated offerings like low-sodium kimchi and vegan-compatible variants that meet regulatory and cultural sensitivities in Western markets.

How does Jongga maintain product integrity and probiotic quality across large-scale global distribution channels?

Jongga maintains strict control over fermentation through proprietary starter bacteria designed to optimize lactic acid production while inhibiting unwanted microbial activity. This biotechnological approach ensures safe, consistent, and flavorful kimchi batches across large-scale production.

The kimchi is gluten-free, probiotic-rich, and made with plant-based ingredients, aligning with modern consumer expectations around transparency and wellness. Jongga has also fine-tuned its packaging to support the biological activity of its fermented goods while providing long shelf-life and convenience. Innovations such as resealable pouches and consistent refrigeration logistics help preserve product freshness during transcontinental transport.

From a food safety perspective, Jongga applies rigorous HACCP and ISO protocols, which are now standard across its facilities in the U.S., Korea, China, Indonesia, Poland, and Vietnam. Analysts note that maintaining authenticity without compromising on shelf-stability is a core operational pillar of Jongga’s growth engine.

Strategic gourmet positioning strengthens Jongga’s global ascent

Daesang’s collaboration with Michelin-starred chef Corey Lee exemplifies a sophisticated blend of traditional Korean gastronomy and modern gourmet branding. Through the San Ho Won Kimchi launch, Jongga is not just expanding its product portfolio—it is actively shaping the perception of kimchi as a culinary staple with mainstream and premium potential in global markets. Institutional observers see this as a milestone moment in the globalization of K-food and anticipate further chef-led collaborations, retail channel expansion, and functional food innovations under the Jongga label.