Korean food goes mainstream as supermarkets embrace ‘K culture’
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Korean food has been steadily growing in popularity in Australia in recent years, and especially the past decade, with numerous Korean restaurants setting up shop. Now, it’s staking its claim on supermarket shelves.
A spokeswoman for Coles said interest in the cuisine continues to grow among Australians, with sales of Korean products in the grocery aisle increasing by almost 30 per cent year-on-year.
Korean food is entering the mainstream with supermarkets increasing their ranges. Supplied/Coles
This rise in interest has seen Coles grow its range with the introduction of a new range of Korean-style fried chicken in partnership with fast-food outlet Gami Chicken & Beer, which has been serving Korean-style fried chicken to Aussies since 2006.
The Gami chicken range was developed in partnership with the supermarket, and includes a cook-at-home packet of boneless chicken paired with Korean-style sauces.
Its release comes as cost-of-living pressure sees more Aussies embrace “fakeaway” meals at home instead of eating out.
Coles is not alone, with Woolworths also increasing its range of Korean cuisine, which is continuing to grow in popularity across Australia off the back of an interest in Korean culture, known as “K culture”, affecting not just food, but music, entertainment and skincare products.
Karen O’Connor, Coles’ general manager commercial – meat, deli, seafood and convenience, said its new range of Korean-style fried chicken was in response to growing customer demand.
“We know our customers are looking for easy meal solutions that deliver on flavour, quality and value, and Korean cuisine continues to grow in popularity across Australia,” she said.
“Gami is already a much-loved restaurant brand, and we’re thrilled to work together to bring these exclusive products to Coles customers, making it easy to recreate that restaurant-quality experience at home in just minutes.
Gami’s founder and managing director Jun Lee said the partnership would introduce more Australians to Korean flavours.
Gami Chicken & Beer founder and managing director Jun Lee is bringing Korean food to the masses. Supplied
“Korean food has surged in popularity over the past few years, and we’re excited to make the Gami experience more accessible for Australians to enjoy at home,” he said.
“It was important that the product delivered the same crispy chicken and signature sauces Gami is known for.”
The new range features RSPCA Approved Australian boneless chicken and Gami’s signature sauces, which can be cooked at home in 14 minutes in an air fryer or 21 minutes in the oven, and comes in two 400g varieties: Gami Korean Fried Chicken with Soy Garlic Sauce and Gami Korean Fried Chicken with Sweet Chilli Sauce.
They are now available in 475 Coles stores and cost $12 a pack.
The new range of Gami Korean-style fried chicken available at Coles. Supplied
Not to be outdone, Woolworths introduced its own range of Korean fried chicken to stores in May.
A Woolworths spokesman told nine.com.au the supermarket chain has also been busily increasing its range of Korean cuisine to keep up with demand.
“We’ve seen demand for Korean food products really take off over the last year, so we’ve been busy growing our range to keep up,” the spokesman said.
The supermarket stocks a range of Korean food products nationally, ranging from instant noodles, snacks, ingredients such as gochujang, gyoza and the ever popular kimchi.
Woolworths has introduced its own range of Korean-style fried chicken. Supplied/Woolworths
“We’ve introduced some easy, ready-to-cook options, including our new Korean fried crumbed chicken and even some specialty Korean-style salad kits in our veggie section,” the spokesman said.
“Some of the popular picks from customers we’re seeing include Nong Shim and Samyang noodles, Bibigo gyoza and staples like kimchi and gochujang.”
A Coles spokeswoman told nine.com.au its new Gami range had quickly become one of the top-selling products in its crumbed poultry range, highlighting the growing appeal of Korean flavours to its customers.
“We’re seeing strong interest in Korean-inspired food, with customers embracing bold flavours across frozen meals and snacks to grocery products and desserts,” the spokeswoman said.
“Alongside the new Gami Korean Chicken range, customers can find a variety of Korean-inspired products in store, including Bibigo dumplings, Korean snacking options and popular frozen desserts from Binggrae.
“We’re seeing strong demand for well-known Korean brands including Samyang, Obap, Orion and Ottogi.
“We’ve also seen strong growth across our frozen Korean range, with products such as Bibigo Pork & Chive Dumplings and Binggrae’s Melona ice cream range proving particularly popular.”
An ALDI spokeswoman said the supermarket was “always looking to bring unique and diverse flavours to our shoppers”, including Korean groceries.
“Our everyday grocery selection offers Korean pantry staples such as Kimchi, Korean Seaweed snacks and Shin Ramyun noodles, with a wider range of specialty Korean foods sometimes becoming available as Special Buys, allowing our customers to discover new favourites and create authentic dishes at great value,” she said.
Aldi’s Korean range includes a 460-gram jar of kimchi for $2.59; Shin Ramyun Noodles four-pack for $4.99 and a six-pack of Korean seaweed snacks for $3.19.
