[Walkerhill Hotels & Resorts]
[Walkerhill Hotels & Resorts]

Walkerhill Hotels & Resorts announced Monday that it has made its first export of its premium kimchi brand, SUPEX Kimchi, to the United States.

The shipment comprises three varieties — napa cabbage kimchi, green onion kimchi and mustard leaf kimchi — totaling about one metric ton. The products will arrive through the Port of Long Beach in California and go on sale locally starting July 31.

Last September, Walkerhill made its first US export of its second-tier brand, Walkerhill Hotel Kimchi, shipping about seven metric tons to the western United States. Since February, the company has expanded its sales channels to cover the entire US market. In March, it also entered the Australian market.

To prepare for the SUPEX Kimchi export, Walkerhill conducted two rounds of local sample testing — in October and December last year — to confirm the product's market viability.

Walkerhill's kimchi lineup consists of the premium SUPEX Kimchi and the second-tier Walkerhill Hotel Kimchi. The SUPEX name derives from SK Group's management philosophy, SUPEX — short for Super Excellent Level — which represents the highest standard achievable through human effort.

Since the second half of last year, Walkerhill has reworked its recipe for overseas exports, replacing the original Korean beef brisket broth with a proprietary vegetable and mushroom stock. The company also updated its packaging, switching from standard pouch containers to can-seamer vessels to allow fermentation gases to escape.


spa@heraldcorp.com