Korean food company Daesang is accelerating the U.S. expansion of its Jongga kimchi brand, strengthening local production and distribution as the United States holds its position as the brand’s largest export market.
Sold in more than 90 countries, Jongga has extended its U.S. distribution since 2019 from Korean grocery stores into mainstream retail channels in the western and central United States. The U.S. surpassed Japan as the brand’s largest export market in 2023. Jongga’s kimchi exports nearly tripled from approximately $32 million in 2017 to $90 million in 2025, and in the first half of 2026 the brand accounted for about $48 million, or 56 percent, of Korea’s roughly $86 million in total kimchi exports, according to the company.
“The United States has emerged as Jongga’s largest export market and is a key market for our global kimchi business,” said Oh Yeon-taek, CEO of Kimchi CIC at Daesang. “Building on our local production and distribution infrastructure and longstanding expertise in kimchi production, we will continue to broaden our product portfolio and consumer reach, making kimchi a more familiar and versatile part of everyday life in the United States.”
California plant, Lucky Foods acquisition anchor supply
In early 2022, Daesang became the first Korean food company to complete a large-scale kimchi plant in the U.S., opening a roughly 108,000-square-foot facility in the City of Industry, California, with annual capacity of 2,000 metric tons. The plant produces varieties developed for local preferences, including Jongga Original, Vegan, White, extra-spicy Silbi and Cucumber kimchi, with key ingredients such as napa cabbage, radishes and green onions sourced domestically.
Daesang expanded its local capacity in 2023 by acquiring Lucky Foods, the U.S. manufacturer behind Seoul Kimchi, and now leverages both companies’ distribution networks in the mainstream market.
Formats built for American shoppers
Beyond traditional napa cabbage kimchi, Jongga’s U.S. lineup includes varieties made with green cabbage, carrots and cucumbers, milder white kimchi and an ABC Kimchi made with apples, beets and carrots, plus new formats such as a kimchi spread for bread or crackers and Crunchy Bites. A 2024 collaboration with three-Michelin-star chef Corey Lee produced two San Ho Won kimchi products under the brand’s Gourmet Edition line.
The brand has also invested in consumer sampling, including a 2024 food truck campaign in Los Angeles and New York and a presence at the Head in the Clouds LA music festival in 2025.
Founded in 1956, Daesang produces fermented foods, sauces and home meal replacements, with manufacturing subsidiaries in the U.S., Poland, China, Indonesia and Vietnam.
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