Pioneer of 3-Minute Meals

Founded in 1969, Ottogi produced the first ready-to-eat curry product in Korea. Ottogi produced its signature 3-minute meals in 1981. In order to expand its business into offshore areas, the company established subsidiaries in China, New Zealand, United States and Vietnam.

What is Korea’s first commercialized ready-to-eat meal? Most Koreans would agree that it is “Ottogi 3-Minute (Retort) Curry. Ottogi created the market of HMRs(home meal replacements) in 1981 with 3-Minute Curry. Thirty-six years since the production of the signature curry product, the HMR market has enjoyed explosive growth, mainly thanks to sharp increases in one-person households and those eating alone. Figures released by the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. and the food industry show that the HMR market totaled 2,300 billion won in 2016, a three-fold increase over five years ago. The market is expected to register more than 30% growth this year, totaling 3 trillion won in revenues.

Today ready-to-eat meals have been diversified in response to technological advances and market volatility. The HMR market, which began with the production of Ottogi 3-Minute Curry, continues to evolve into various types of instant meals like cooked rice, frozen pizza and fried rice.

Long Life Brand, Ottogi 3-Minute Curry
Since the production of its 3-Minute Curry in 1981, Ottogi has produced 3-minute meals including 3-Minute Jjajang, 3-Minute Hamburger and 3-Minute Meatball. In the 2000s, the company has diversified into premium instant meals, such as Bekse(100 years old) Curry, Gudaero Curry (Curry as It is) and Gudaero Jjajang (Jjajang as It is) in response to the changing tastes of consumers

Recently, in an effort to satisfy the changing tastes of Koreans, Ottogi moved to develop Indian and Thailand style instant meals including 3-Minute Indian Curry Makuni and 3-Minute Thai Curry Sauce Green.

The 3-Minute Curry, which can be cooked anywhere and anytime, is a typical ready-to-eat meal. It
is now diversified into three types, mild, spicy and a little spicy. The 3-Minute Curry is a harmony of curry powder from natural tropical spices, Korean fruits, and tropical fruit puree, providing a great combination of rich and soft taste. This product is constantly in great demand in Korea and abroad.

The HMR market has enjoyed explosive growth with the production of cooked rice products.
The cooked rice market expanded into frozen rice, cup rice, and set rice products. As a result, the boundary between home-cooked rice products and ready meals is steadily crumbling. Ottogii currently holds a more than 30% market share in the instant cooked rice market

In 2004, in an effort to better serve our consumers, Ottogi has developed over 20 kinds of set rice products. Of particular note, frozen pizza is gaining popularity these days. Since its release in May 2016, frozen pizza products have recorded total sales of 20 billion won. Some outlets sold over 4,000 pizzas a day, while some others were out of stock. Frozen pizzas include combination and bulgogi. Combination pizza consists of rich mozzarella cheese, meat and vegetables. It is the taste of a traditional pizza baked on a rock oven. Aged dough provides a chewy texture.

Other newly released products include Dimsum Shrimp Shumai, Dimsum Crab Shumai, Frozen Shrimp Fired Rice and Bean Soup Noodles Ramen. Frozen Shrimp Fired Rice includes bulk of shrimp, plenty of eggs and nutrients. Ottogi Frozen Fried Rice is the epitome of the 40 years of Ottogi’s know-how in freezing, and is produced by Ottogi frozen food subsidiary. 3 minutes on a stove or 4 minutes in a microwave oven (700W) is enough to serve one. Individually packed to serve 1 provides easy storage and easy preparation. The original taste is preserved through direct roasting and individual quick freezing

Bean Soup Noodles Ramen is a unique chewy and waxy noodles of bean soup noodles. Rich and deep bean soup. It is easy to prepare. 78.3% of the powder soup consists of soybean powder, reviving the rich taste of bean soup. Visibility is enhanced by mixing roasted sesame and black sesame, you can feel the sesame embedded in the noodles to enhance the taste. Ottogi’s authentic know-how realizes the chewy and waxy texture of bean soup noodles

Ottogi’s current best products include Bekse Curry, 3-Minute Curry, Gold Mayonnaise, Abalone Rice Porridge,
Combination Pizza, and Jin Ramen. Ottogi Gold Mayonnaise is Korea‘s No.1 mayonnaise with rich and deep taste. Abalone Rice Porridge has plenty of nutritious abalone and mushrooms. It gives you the harmonic taste of various mushrooms and vegetables.

Ottogi Delicious Cooked Rice with Beef Bone Stock Soup is also still in great demand about 20 years after its release in 1998. The soup upgraded in taste and convenience. The new and improved Ottogi Delicious Cooked Rice dishes now provide a reliable and tasty new product. The original taste of each menu is enriched and now you can enjoy larger particles. You can now enjoy a more tasty, and visually enjoyable dish at a more convenient price.

The domestic frozen pizza market has also grown substantially since the release of Ottogi Pizza in May 2016. Ottogi is likely to lead the market which is expected to rise up to 40 billion won annually from 5 billion won years ago.

Ottogi officials said that the ready-to-eat meal market will likely continue to grow significantly, backed by the steady growth of one-person households and those eating alone. “Ottogi, the pioneer of HMRs, will strive to develop a wide range of new, innovative products in response to the changing tastes of consumers,” they said.

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