Overseas food sales rise 43% in five years as company broadens consumer engagement beyond core markets
CJ CheilJedang is expanding consumer engagement for its global Korean food brand Bibigo in Mexico, using the growing popularity of Korean culture to introduce a wider range of K-food products to consumers in Latin America.
The company operated a Bibigo booth at the 2026 Mexico K-Expo, held at the World Trade Center Mexico City from Sept. 24 to 27, offering local visitors opportunities to experience Korean food through product tastings and interactive content.
The K-Expo, organized by South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency, brings together Korean cultural content and consumer products, including food and beauty products, to support their expansion into overseas markets.
For CJ CheilJedang, the event provided another platform to connect Bibigo with consumers in a region where interest in Korean pop culture has continued to grow.
K-Pop Meets K-Food in Mexico
Rather than focusing solely on product displays, CJ CheilJedang designed its Bibigo booth around hands-on consumer experiences.
The booth featured digital content and themed areas using intellectual property associated with K-pop group ALPHA DRIVE ONE, Bibigo’s global brand ambassador.
Visitors also participated in interactive activities highlighting distinctive characteristics of Korean food, including spicy, sweet and savory flavors.
CJ CheilJedang offered tastings of products including Hetbahn cooked rice paired with Bibigo gochujang sauce, Bibigo noodles, K-sauces and seaweed snacks.
The strategy reflects the company’s efforts to connect interest in Korean entertainment with actual food experiences. According to a 2025 Statista survey cited by CJ CheilJedang, 67.1% of respondents in Mexico said K-pop was well known or popular in the country, while 66% gave the same response for Korean dramas.
CJ CheilJedang plans to use Bibigo’s broad product portfolio, including dumplings, cooked rice, kimchi, Korean sauces and seaweed products, to increase consumer exposure in Mexico and other Latin American markets.
Overseas Food Sales Up 43% in Five Years
The push into Mexico comes as CJ CheilJedang continues to expand its overseas food business.
The company’s overseas food sales increased 43% over five years, from 4.13 trillion won in 2020 to 5.92 trillion won in 2025. Overseas food sales reached 3.06 trillion won in the first half of this year, up more than 7% from the same period a year earlier.
CJ CheilJedang has been expanding Bibigo in established markets such as the United States while increasing consumer marketing in regions where demand for Korean food is growing.
Its overseas marketing has increasingly combined food products with cultural and sports experiences. In the United States, the company has conducted Bibigo seaweed sampling campaigns at Major League Soccer and Major League Baseball games.
In Mexico, the company is taking a similar approach by using K-pop as an initial point of engagement and connecting that interest with opportunities to taste and experience Korean food.
The strategy also gives CJ CheilJedang an opportunity to introduce products beyond Bibigo’s better-known categories as it builds awareness among consumers in Mexico and neighboring Latin American markets.
“We were able to see strong interest in K-food and Bibigo among local consumers at the K-Expo,” a CJ CheilJedang official said. “We will continue to introduce a wider variety of K-food flavors through Bibigo in Mexico and South America.”
