[Edaily Reporter kim mi-kyung ] Samjinfood Co., Ltd., a leading player in the Korean fish cake industry, is accelerating its global business expansion with China as its base. The company’s strategy involves opening deli shops overseas that feature fish cakes and targeting overseas distribution networks with its “room-temperature fish cakes,” which do not require refrigerated or frozen distribution.

According to Samjinfood Co., Ltd. on the 2nd, following the opening of its first local store in Changsha, Hunan Province, China, last May, Samjin Fish Cakes is currently operating a pop-up store at Panlong Xintian Di in Qingpu District, Shanghai, through October 31. Based on the experience gained from operating its first store in China, this pop-up store serves as a test location to raise brand awareness in the local market and gauge consumer response. Panlong Xintiandi is a commercial, cultural, and lifestyle complex that offers a modern reinterpretation of a traditional water town.

In Shanghai, the company is also preparing to open a deli shop featuring fish cakes. The plan is to expand the brand’s reach by going beyond simple product sales to introduce fish cake-based menus and food culture to local consumers. Based on the results of this store’s operation, the company plans to gradually open additional locations across China. The company also aims to expand its local distribution network. It is currently preparing to enter Costco stores in China, with a strategy to broaden the scope of its Chinese operations through expansion into local brick-and-mortar stores and major retail channels.

The company has also strengthened the competitiveness of its products to support overseas expansion. Samjinfood Co., Ltd. has completed the development of ambient-temperature fish cakes that do not require refrigerated or frozen distribution. The company is pushing forward with the commercialization of these ambient-temperature products alongside its existing flagship product, the “hot bar,” and is currently in export negotiations with three countries. The industry believes that ambient-temperature fish cakes will play a key role in Samjinfood Co., Ltd.’s global business expansion. While traditional fish cakes must be transported in refrigerated or frozen conditions—which imposed constraints such as logistics costs and shelf life during overseas export—ambient-temperature products can relatively reduce storage and transportation constraints, making them advantageous for entering new overseas markets.

The company is also diversifying its business structure from the traditional B2B focus to include retail and gift sets, thereby simultaneously expanding both its revenue structure and product portfolio. The spread of the K-food craze—from ramen and kimchi to K-snacks like tteokbokki and gimbap—also presents an opportunity for Samjinfood Co., Ltd. The company plans to expand its reach among overseas consumers by promoting products that can be combined with a variety of menu items, rather than focusing solely on fish cakes themselves.

These changes have led to improved financial performance. Samjinfood Co., Ltd.’s revenue for the first half of this year was 54.8 billion won, and operating profit was 3.3 billion won, representing year-over-year increases of 7.7% and 23.2%, respectively. This marks the company’s best half-year performance since its listing on KOSDAQ. Although the second quarter is typically a slow season for the fish cake business—resulting in an operating loss of 500 million won—profitability improved for the first half as a whole. In particular, the growth in exports was notable. Exports in the first half of this year totaled 2.5 billion won, a 90% increase from the 1.3 billion won recorded in the same period last year. Considering that last year’s annual export volume was 3.4 billion won, the company achieved approximately 70% of last year’s total exports in the first half of this year alone. Securing new distribution networks in China, Taiwan, and Mongolia drove this export growth.

A Samjinfood Co., Ltd. official stated, “In the second half of the year, we plan to continue expanding our global distribution network and B2B channels and lay the groundwork for new growth through the development of seafood protein-based wellness products,” adding, “We will maintain our sustained growth momentum by strengthening product supply and sales activities in preparation for the peak winter season.”