Wow, you can’t make this stuff up. According to an article in the Korean Herald, your friendly neighborhood food conglomerate, CJ Cheiljedang Corporation, will distribute the Korean hot pepper paste called gochujang (고추장) to the U.S. market.
Called Annie Chun’s Korean Sweet and Spicy “Goes Well With Everything” sauce, CJ will aggressively target the U.S. mainstream market.
Per Kim Joo-hyung, vice president of CJ Cheiljedang’s food business division:
“We are not satisfied with being the No. 1 gochujang supplier in Korea, we are now aiming to foster our staple hot-pepper paste into a global hot sauce,”
“With our latest product launch, we will localize our marketing campaigns and strengthen our sales activities so gochujang can become a globally enjoyed and loved sauce.”
Well, I guess Korea is just not big enough for CJ. Wow, aggressive and confident.
It appears CJ thinks America is ready for gochujang, but I’m not so sure that America is ready for gochujang.
Again, you can’t make this stuff up.
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No matter how hard I tried, this post ended up sounding like an article from The (older and better) Yangpa…
Aunt Chun’s?
Why is Annie Chun’s on the label? You know, Aunt Chun’s is probably a better name. Add a picture of an old toothless granny.
Given the popularity of of tobasco and salsa I don’t think gochujang will be met with hostility. Heck, I , like you, like to imagine the masses are gathering for the Aunt Chun’s victory parades as I type.
And gochujang goes quite well with America’s favorite snack dried squid.
Yep you are right… Annie Chun’s. Fixed!
Hung Foy Sriracha Rooster hot sauce has this market locked down. It aint gonna happen. Good effort, though.
I have non-Korean friends in the US who always ask me to bring a squeeze bottle of 비빔장 every time I fly back. (Photo: http://pds8.egloos.com/pds/200802/02/28/c0055728_47a3615dc46e5.jpg
ecorn,
What do they use it on? I wonder if it tastes like kojang sauce because if it does, then it could have an interesting sashimi niche…
NetKim,
고추장 tastes a lot different than Rooster Sauce. It’s got a more sweeter tang to it. Given that Americans love overly sweet stuff, it may have a chance to carve its own niche.
The tone of the OP is, in my opinion, way off base. It’s not like they are trying to market chocolate kimchi… or even kimchi. If CJ spins it properly, it will do well. Word of mouth alone has people curious like ecron attests to. I live in Vancouver with my Korean gf, and we have a massive tub of the real deal in the fridge, and we use it when we cook Mexican, Italian, and even jazz up a meatloaf with it. The stuff is versatile, easy to use, and people like it. I’ve wondered many times why this hasn’t happened yet.
It’ll do well.
i’m confused; isn’t ‘annie chun’ a product line that’s been around for some time? is the line owned by koreans?
Pawi,
I’m surprised. Annie Chun apparently owns a “top rated” Korean restaurant in the Bay Area. Given the relative lack of good Korean restaurants in the Bay Area, I don’t know which “top rated” place her web site refers to. Her Asian food business was bought by CJ a while ago. I don’t know when.
i’ve seen her product line for a number of years. it’s been around for some time, i think. if cj owns it, it would be a perfect way to introduce korean food to an american audience.
btw, kochujang is one korean food that white people always seem to like.
the label says “sweet and spicy”, so is this really 조구추장, which is served often with shellfish? I would call that sauce sweet and spicy. Or is it just 고추장 as indicated?
oops – typo – 조고추장
Try again, Stumbler…
(Hint– 초). Anyways, I think that some are ready for gochujang in the US. It won’t outsell ketchup or salsa, but it could form a niche market.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
(Don’t mind me. I just wanted to show up on the “recent comments” section.)
thekorean,
Korean food will, one way or another, be it taco trucks, ambitions of food processing chaebols, gay gyopos like David Chang, etc., at least make a spirited effort to reach the mainstream.
The sooner your accept that, the sooner you’ll be happier. Sorry, buddy, but you can’t have it your way all the time…
Speaking about go-chu, I find it surprising that this commercial aired during the Chun Doo-hwan era:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYylSRf3uFw
Sorry if you don’t speak Korean.
‘Goes with everything’ sauce. I couldn’t possibly think of a better description of gochujong… if you grew up in Korea.
“gay” has taken on a whole new meaning, please watch what you say Wangkon…
Darn it all, ok. It is a nice change to have the “recent comments” section not wallpapered with rape and murder… I do feel bad about that. The whole thing was rather disrespectful to the victim.
초고추장 is sour, sweet, & spicy, so I don’t think it’s quite that…
You know what would really, really sell here? 고추장볶음. Good god, that stuff is amazing. Give me a pack of 김, 고추장볶음, and rice and I’ll live off of it for a month.
Ahhhhhh, bum, I’m a h=======D uge fan of 김 also. All *I* need is rice and 김 and I’ll live off it for a month.
(god dammit, I can’t shake it off my mind, it’s not my fault really)
Let’s see:
Sugar from America and chili from America.
I’d like to add more personality to my “branding” food.
Here’s the real question: would any self-respecting kyopo buy this bastardized gochu-jang?
WangKon936 – They use the 비빔장 mostly on 비빔밥, appropriately enough. I think it’s a bit milder than the 고추장 in a tub and has some extra ingredients like soy sauce to make it work better in squeeze bottle form.
NetKim,
Gyopos in red states…
tmc1233 @14 – thanks. I can’t spell very well in Engrish, either.
@NetKim
I know of no such self-respecting gyopos.
But I can’t wait to try some Annie Chun gochojang on:
1) Peanut Butter sandwiches
2) Cocoa Puffs
3) Black Jelly Beans
4) Collard Greens
5) Fried Twinkies
It’s funny how the bottle looks like Aunt Jemima’s. They don’t have to make it look American.
I first read too quickly and thought Annabel Cheung was putting out a kochujang. THAT would be a different sauce altogether!
Some girl told me that a street name for Huy Fong’s Sriracha Rooster hot sauce is “cock sauce”.
She likes cock sauce on everything.
Wow… how did I not notice it?
Annie Chun, Go-Ju-Jang, 100% natural, Korean “Hot & Spicy” and “Goes Well With Everything.” There’s even pictures of tublar sticks of meat (white and yellow in color too) on the packaging. Good grief. I’m having a JW moment…
Well, looks like Annie Chun get’s a U.S. gochujang web site:
http://mygochujang.com/gochujang/home
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