Pulmuone Tofu, a pioneer in K-food exports, will enter European markets such as France, Germany, and..

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Inside Pulmuone U.S. tofu factory. [Full crew]

Pulmuone Tofu, a pioneer in K-food exports, will enter European markets such as France, Germany, and Spain next year after passing through the United States, China, Japan, and Southeast Asia. Pulmuone, the No. 1 Korean tofu (K tofu) overseas sales company, plans to complete the expansion of its Boston Iyer tofu plant in the eastern U.S. in the first quarter of next year and actively utilize a large portion of its doubled production to target not only the U.S. but also the European market.

According to the food industry on the 9th, Pulmuone is planning to create a local subsidiary next month to enter the European market. The sale of Pulmuone tofu is planned to begin in earnest in Europe. Since there are currently no Pulmuone tofu factories in Europe, products made in U.S. production lines are expected to be exported to Germany and France.

It is the expansion of the Boston Iyer plant that is being promoted to enter Europe and further strengthen its entry into the U.S. market. When the expansion line begins in earnest in the first quarter of next year, the plant’s tofu production capacity will increase from 4,000 to 9,000 per hour.

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Foreign buyers and consumers visit the Pulmuone booth to sample plant-based products such as tofu tenders and soy milk noodles at the food fair “Sial Paris 2024” in Paris, France, last year.

A Pulmuone official said, “If tofu production facilities are expanded in Iyer, it can cover the supply to about 15,000 stores in large U.S. supermarkets,” adding, “It is the world’s largest distribution of tofu in a single factory.”

“Some of the production at the Iyer plant will be exported to Europe,” he said, adding, “We have been focusing on the US and Southeast Asian markets, and it is expected that we will have another opportunity to leap forward in sales by entering Europe.”

Overseas sales of Pulmuone tofu are rising every year. Overseas sales of Pulmuone Tofu, which was worth 170.7 billion won in 2023, recorded 212.4 billion won last year, breaching 200 billion won for the first time, and is expected to reach 230 billion won this year. Pulmuone is the only Korean company that makes 200 billion won in annual sales overseas with a single tofu item.

The key overseas market for Pulmuone tofu is the United States. According to the food industry, about 70% of tofu distributed in the United States is from Korea, and most of them are produced at local factories in Pulmuone. However, the percentage of U.S. households encountering tofu is not high yet, and if it is raised, the market could grow even larger. Pulmuone plans to raise local tofu sales to 1 trillion won in the long run by increasing the purchase rate of its tofu in the U.S. households.

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This year’s overseas sales of tofu reached 230 billion won

With the success of tofu exports, Pulmuone’s share of overseas sales is rising every year. The proportion of overseas sales, which was 11.9% (368.5 billion won) of total sales in 2019, continues to rise to 18.7% (560.3 billion won) in 2023 and 19.8% (635.1 billion won) in 2024.

In 1995, Pulmuone established a tofu factory in LA, USA, and began targeting overseas. It currently operates factories in Fullerton, California, the United States, Taffen, New York, and Iyer, and has two factories in Beijing, China, and five in Japan. After targeting the United States, China, and Japan, it is also accelerating its entry into Southeast Asia such as Vietnam. In particular, in the United States, successful achievements in transportation and storage that catch the fishy smell of beans that Westerners dislike and maintain freshness are considered the secret to its success, and it plans to continue this strategy in Europe.

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The view of the Pulmuone U.S. tofu factory. [Full crew]

In addition to tofu, Pulmuone will exclusively launch a new tofu product in the U.S. in the first half of next year. It is a product that can be eaten immediately without a separate cooking process, and is characterized by the addition of seasoning sauce.

According to Brand Essence Market Research, a market research firm, the global tofu market, which was worth $2.473.4 billion (about 3.606 trillion won) in 2021, is expected to grow 5.2% annually to $3.527.1 billion (about 5.1421 trillion won) in 2028.