CJ CheilJedang steams sticky rice for global expansion

CJ CheilJedang is accelerating Hetbahn exports from Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, to promote rice as a healthier carbohydrate for global consumers. The microwavable rice bowls now reach 60 countries, with the United States as the largest market. The company is considering converting some Schwan’s plants to produce Hetbahn locally if U.S. demand outgrows its export capacity. Hetbahn generated 1.18 trillion won in sales last year, including 15 percent from overseas markets.

Hetbahn exports grew by an average of 30 percent annually from 2021, when they accounted for 8 percent of sales, to last year, when they reached 15 percent.

Jin Kim, CJ CheilJedang’s global chief marketing officer, said Hetbahn held 11.9 percent of the U.S. market, compared with about 45 percent for Ben’s Original.

The company’s Jincheon plant can produce 280 million Hetbahn bowls annually, while its total capacity with the Busan factory is 700 million units.

CJ Blossom Campus was completed in 2018 after a 1 trillion won investment and uses aseptic packaged rice manufacturing technology.

CJ CheilJedang bought 65,000 tons of domestic rice last year, more than triple the amount it purchased a decade earlier.

Published Oct 25, 2026 8:30 am KST

Hetbahn for US, Europe on pipeline at advanced Jincheon plant

Rice is placed into bowls for Hetbahn microwavable sticky rice at CJ CheilJedang's manufacturing plant in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, Wednesday. Courtesy of CJ CheilJedang

JINCHEON, North Chungcheong Province — CJ CheilJedang, which introduced the country’s first microwavable steamed rice bowls under the Hetbahn brand in 1996 and has dominated the market since, is accelerating exports to promote healthier diets for global consumers.

Hetbahn now exports to 60 countries, with the United States the largest market. The rice bowls were rebranded as Bibigo and entered the country in 2017. Across the world, Hetbahn last year saw its exports out of overall sales jump to 15 percent from 8 percent in 2021, with an average annual growth of 30 percent during the period.

CJ CheilJedang is positioning rice as a “better carbohydrate” compared to bread as part of its global expansion. The company cited global market research agency Mintel, which said 34.6 percent of American consumers who purchase rice see it as a “healthier option” and use it not only for Asian cuisines like fried rice or sushi but also for Western dishes like chicken, steak, burritos or rice bowls. The share of people in the country who ate rice at least once a week rose to 45 per cent last year, up from 37 per cent in 2023.

“Of course there are other rice exporters to the U.S. right now. But we possess better quality and convenience than them. Ours come in microwavable bowls and short grain. The variety is now expanding," Jin Kim, the company's global chief marketing officer, said Wednesday. "The others, on the other hand, come in a pouch and still need a pot to cook them. Our quality and technologies, they haven’t reached yet."

CJ Blossom Campus in Jincheon is CJ CheilJedang's largest manufacturing plant in Korea. Courtesy of CJ CheilJedang

She added, “But our period of exports to the U.S. hasn’t been long enough. While our market share there is now 11.9 percent, Ben’s Original takes up about 45 percent.”

CheilJedang said it has targeted the U.S. as a primary global market for now because local consumers have become very familiar with rice and the country’s market for processed foods is second to none in the world.

“American consumers, contrary to my initial thought, have developed a keen taste for rice. They know differences between different brands and know what good quality rice tastes like,” said Oh Ye-jin, food research and development master at the company.

Kim added, “The U.S., unlike Asian countries where rice is a main ingredient on food tables, has a high acceptance for imported food ingredients. Their produced foods market has already entered a mature stage.”

CheilJedang now owns 16 U.S. manufacturing plants of Schwan’s, an American food company it acquired in 2019. Kim said that if the needs in the U.S. rise to a level unsustainable by CheilJedang’s rice export base in Busan, it is possible some of the Schwan’s plants will be upgraded to locally produce Hetbahn.

Hetbahn, produced at the company’s largest plant in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, last year posted sales of 1.18 trillion won ($892 million) overall, 15 percent of which were in overseas markets. The figure has risen every year since 2021, when sales reached 790 billion won, with exports accounting for 8 percent. Hetbahn’s rising popularity contributed to CheilJedang’s overall sales. Between 2001 and 2025, sales jumped 18 times, last year peaking at 5.2 trillion won.

The Jincheon plant, known as CJ Blossom Campus, was completed in 2018 following a 1 trillion won investment. It features aseptic packaged rice manufacturing technology that the company says is as complex as semiconductor foundry technology.

Automation facilitates the entire process from packaging to logistics, rice cooking and bowl making, enabling the plant to produce 280 million Hetbahn bowls per year. With another factory in Busan, the company’s production capacity is 700 million units annually. The company holds 267 patents for the production technologies behind Hetbahn.

CheilJedang is pushing forward with Hetbahn despite falling rice consumption here, increasing supply contract volume with farmers. Last year, the company bought 65,000 tons of domestic rice, more than triple the amount from a decade ago. Over the past 30 years, Hetbahn used 43 million bags of supplied rice, equivalent to 860,000 trucks loading 1 ton.

CJ第一制糖公司正加速从忠清北道镇川市出口其产品Hetbahn，旨在向全球消费者推广大米作为一种更健康的碳水化合物来源。这种微波炉米饭目前已销往60个国家，其中美国是最大的市场。如果美国市场需求超过其出口能力，该公司正考虑将部分Schwan's工厂改造为Hetbahn的本地生产工厂。Hetbahn去年的销售额为1.18万亿韩元，其中15%来自海外市场。

Hetbahn 的出口额从 2021 年的 8% 增长到去年的 15%，平均每年增长 30%。

CJ CheilJedang 全球首席营销官 Jin Kim 表示，Hetbahn 在美国市场占有 11.9% 的份额，而 Ben's Original 的份额约为 45%。

该公司位于金川的工厂每年可生产 2.8 亿个 Hetbahn 碗，而其位于釜山的工厂的总产能为 7 亿个。

CJ Blossom Campus 于 2018 年建成，投资额达 1 万亿韩元，采用无菌包装大米生产技术。

CJ第一制糖去年购入了6.5万吨国产大米，是十年前购入量的三倍多。

发布于2026年10月25日上午8:30（韩国标准时间）

Hetbahn公司正在为美国和欧洲在金川先进工厂的管道项目提供管道运输服务。

周三，在忠清北道镇川市的CJ第一制糖工厂，工作人员将米饭放入碗中，准备制作Hetbahn微波炉糯米饭。图片由CJ第一制糖提供。

忠清北道镇川市——1996年推出韩国首款微波炉蒸米饭（品牌为Hetbahn）并一直占据市场主导地位的CJ第一制糖公司，正在加快出口，以向全球消费者推广更健康的饮食。

Hetbahn目前出口到60个国家，其中美国是最大的市场。其米饭碗产品于2017年更名为Bibigo并进入美国市场。在全球范围内，Hetbahn去年的出口额占总销售额的比例从2021年的8%跃升至15%，在此期间的年均增长率达到30%。

CJ第一制糖公司正将其大米定位为比面包更健康的碳水化合物，以此作为其全球扩张计划的一部分。该公司援引全球市场研究机构英敏特（Mintel）的数据称，34.6%的美国大米消费者认为大米是“更健康的选择”，他们不仅将其用于炒饭、寿司等亚洲菜肴，也用于鸡肉、牛排、墨西哥卷饼或盖饭等西式菜肴。去年，美国每周至少吃一次米饭的人口比例上升至45%，高于2023年的37%。

“当然，现在美国还有其他大米出口商。但我们的大米质量更好，也更方便。我们的大米采用微波炉适用的碗装，而且是短粒米。品种还在不断增加，”该公司全球首席营销官金金（Jin Kim）周三表示。“而其他品牌的大米是用袋子包装的，仍然需要用锅煮。他们的质量和技术水平还没有达到我们的水平。”

位于镇川的CJ Blossom Campus是CJ第一制糖在韩国最大的生产基地。图片由CJ第一制糖提供。

她补充说：“但我们对美国的出口时间还不够长。虽然我们目前在美国的市场份额为11.9%，但Ben's Original的市场份额约为45%。”

第一制糖表示，目前已将美国作为其主要全球市场，因为美国消费者对大米非常熟悉，而且美国的加工食品市场在世界上首屈一指。

“与我最初的想法相反，美国消费者对大米有着敏锐的鉴赏力。他们了解不同品牌大米之间的区别，也知道优质大米的味道，”该公司食品研发主管吴艺珍说道。

金补充道：“与以大米为主要食材的亚洲国家不同，美国对进口食品原料的接受度很高。其成品食品市场已经进入成熟阶段。”

第一制糖目前拥有16家美国食品公司施万（Schwan's）的生产工厂，该公司于2019年收购了施万。金表示，如果美国的需求上升到第一制糖位于釜山的稻米出口基地无法满足的水平，那么施万的部分工厂可能会升级改造，以在当地生产Hetbahn。

Hetbahn 产自该公司位于忠清北道镇川市的最大工厂，去年总销售额达 1.18 万亿韩元（约合 8.92 亿美元），其中 15% 来自海外市场。自 2021 年以来，这一数字逐年增长，当年销售额达到 7900 亿韩元，出口额占比 8%。Hetbahn 的日益流行带动了 CheilJedang 整体销售额的增长。2001 年至 2025 年间，其销售额增长了 18 倍，去年达到峰值 5.2 万亿韩元。

位于金川的工厂，又称CJ Blossom Campus，于2018年竣工，投资额达1万亿韩元。该工厂采用无菌包装大米生产技术，据该公司称，其复杂程度堪比半导体代工技术。

从包装、物流、煮饭到碗的制作，整个流程都实现了自动化，使工厂每年能够生产2.8亿个Hetbahn碗。加上在釜山的另一家工厂，公司年产能达到7亿个。该公司拥有267项Hetbahn生产技术的专利。

尽管越南大米消费量下降，第一制糖公司仍在推进其旗下品牌Hetbahn的运营，并增加了与农户的供货合同量。去年，该公司采购了6.5万吨越南国产大米，是十年前的三倍多。过去30年，Hetbahn共使用了4300万袋供应的大米，相当于86万辆卡车每辆装载1吨。