Under the agreement, access to bibigo products will greatly expand through local retailers across the Thai market
CJ Foods is accelerating its push to expand the global footprint of K-food in Thailand.
On December 2, CJ Foods announced that it will work with CP AXTRA, the largest retailer in Thailand and an affiliate of the country’s top conglomerate, CP Group, to strengthen its local K-food business.
The two companies signed an MOU to expand K-food distribution and strengthen its presence in the Thai market. Through the agreement, the partners will combine CJ Foods’ globally recognized K-food lineup with CP AXTRA’s robust retail network and deep consumer insights to accelerate the growth of Thailand’s K-food sector.
The partnership enables CJ Foods to secure a broad sales network in Thailand, establishing a strong platform for future expansion. CP AXTRA operates the country’s leading warehouse retailer, Makro, and the supermarket chain Lotus’s, which together have more than 2,600 stores nationwide. This extensive footprint is expected to significantly support the expansion of bibigo product sales.
Through the agreement, CJ Foods will expand the mainstream distribution of its bibigo Mandu, K-street food and K-sauces in addition to the existing flagship products in Thailand — including bibigo Stir-Fried Ramyun and Kimchi. Furthermore, the company will work closely with Makro, whose customer base includes a high proportion of B2B clients such as restaurants and cafés, to strengthen its bulk and B2B product lineup. The two companies also plan to deepen collaboration across joint marketing, promotions and other strategic initiatives.
CP AXTRA plans to significantly strengthen the K-food category within Makro and Lotus’s by leveraging bibigo’s superior product quality and global brand awareness. The two companies are also exploring opportunities to expand their collaboration into other Southeast Asian markets where CP Group operates, including Malaysia and the Philippines.
“This partnership with Thailand’s leading company marks a major breakthrough for accelerating our growth in the local market,” a CJ Foods representative said. “As a pioneer of K-food globalization, we will continue to drive new territory expansion through diverse forms of collaboration.”
Southeast Asia, including Thailand, is emerging as a key market for K-food’s growth, backed by a population of roughly 690 million and strong economic growth potential. Among these countries, Thailand is gaining prominence as a strategic hub, driven by a strong interest in K-culture and its role as an economic leader in the region — enabling the country to serve as a gateway for expanding K-food into neighboring markets.
CJ Foods established its Thai subsidiary in 2023 and has since been rolling out bibigo products across major retailers like Makro, Lotus’s and 7-Eleven. Notably, bibigo Stir-Fried Ramyun, which debuted first in Thailand before any other global market, has been well received for its authentic Korean flavors, including “Spicy Tteokbokki,” “Cheese Tteokbokki,” “Kimchi,” “K-Chicken” and “Smoky K-Chicken.”
CJ Foods’ global food business has grown significantly over the past five years, with revenue rising from 3.154 trillion KRW (2.14 billion USD) in 2019 to 5.581 trillion KRW (3.79 billion USD) last year — a 77% increase. As of the third quarter of this year, global revenue reached 4.312 trillion KRW (2.94 billion USD), accounting for more than half of the company’s total food sales.
To further accelerate its global food business, CJ Foods has recently strengthened partnerships with major companies in key markets. In September, the company signed an agreement with the food division of ITOCHU Corporation, one of Japan’s largest general trading companies, to expand its presence in the Japanese market. Earlier this month, it also established an MOU with Al Khayyat Investments (AKI) in the United Arab Emirates to advance its K-food business in the Middle East.
