Workers make Jongga kimchi of Daesang Corp. at a factory in Hoengseong. (Photos: Daesang Corp.)

Jongga, Korea’s first packaged kimchi brand, was introduced to provide kimchi that can be enjoyed by people around the world. Koreans and people around the world are recognizing Jongga as a popular Kimchi brand.

In the 1980s, the Korean government pushed ahead with the commercialization of kimchi, the most famous Korean food in the world before the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

This required a standardized taste that would not be different no matter where and when it was eaten, and the specialty that the taste would not change over time to export overseas across the sea. After listening to advice from kimchi experts, Jongga made standardized recipes for Kimchi.

Jongga Kimchi produces kimchi based on the highest level of hygiene management, such as foreign body sorting, x-rays and hygiene control systems for each process.

Its kimchi products have received top-class safety certificates including the ISO9001 certificate in 2001, the HACCP certificate in 2004, and the LOHAS certificate, a first for a kimchi maker in 2008.

After researching Kimchi lactic acid bacteria in Korea in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, kimchi's Lactobacillus strain was cultured in 2017, with excellent taste and fermentation ability.

Daesang Co., which owns Jongga Brand, registered a patent on kimchi lactic acid bacteria.

Since February 2017, the company has been applying the fermentation technology to all of its kimchi products. An article about the seed was published in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology (IJSEM).

In February 2017, Daesang Jongga prepared kimchi in three stages, according to the fermentation process, through joint research with the Korea Food Research Institute, the World Institute of Kimchi and Korea University.

The company put each sample of kimchi to virus-infected cells and animals and found that it was effective in combating influenza.

Among kimchi ingredients, green onions and ginger have high antiviral effects. Based on the research results, Daesang Jongga will develop new products using kimchi lactic acid bacteria that can effectively suppress influenza virus.

An image of Jongga Kimchi packages.

Jongga has been offering the “My Own Kimchi,” a customized kimchi ordering service since May 2017. My Own Kimchi allows customers to choose seasonings to order kimchi that suits their tastes.

If a customer clicks the My Own Kimchi Section of Jungwon eShop homepage which sells Jongga Kimchi, he or she can choose whether to add salt and red pepper powder, salted anchovies and shrimps.

Customers can check information about seasonings too. They can also adjust the spiciness of salted seafood by choose sauces according to their preferences.

Jongga Kimchi has an unrivaled and unique status overseas. Local residents consume 90% of Jongga Kimchi exports to Japan and 80% of them to Asia such as Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore.

With such popularity, Jongga Kimchi has made a foray into over 40 countries around the world including the Americas, Europe, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

In the past, exports concentrated on the Japanese market, but recently, the company has diversified its export markets not only to the United States and Europe, but also Africa and South America. In addition, Jongga Kimchi obtained a kosher mark for the first time as a Korean food company.

Kosher marks are considered as a food safety standard in North America and Europe. In the future, Jongga will export Kimchi products to the kosher market worth about US$250 billion for vegetarians and those who want well-being food as well as for Jews and Muslims.

Moreover, four kinds of kimchi - Pogi Kimchi (whole cabbage kimchi), Yeolmu Kimchi (young radish kimchi), and Chonggak Kimchi (ponytail radish kimchi) - have received Halal certificates in 2009.

Jongga kimchi products are delivering traditional Korean spicy taste to people as it is exported to the world including Indonesia, Malaysia, and the United Arab Emirates.