Halal Korean Food To Be Part Of Hallyu Phenomenon

By Erda Khursyiah Basir South Korean food giant Shinsegae Food Inc has inked a joint venture with Malaysia's Mamee-Double Decker Sdn Bhd to produce a range halal Korean delights. This first of three articles looks at how their tie-up will result in a win-win situation for both companies. SEOUL, Feb 3 (Bernama) -- In Malaysia, Hallyu or the Korean Wave has so far been confined to South Korea's hugely popular K-pop music, television soap operas and movies. Soon, halal-certified Korean culinary delights will also ride the wave, thanks to a joint venture (JV) between Mamee-Double Decker Sdn Bhd and Shinsegae Food Inc established on Nov 27, 2017. Although Mamee and Shinsegae Food have had collaborations over the last 10 years, their new partnership is deemed special by the Malaysian company as it gives them the ticket to produce a range of halal-certified Korean foodstuffs and make them available not only in Malaysia but also in South Korea and the Asia Pacific region. AUTHENTIC AND HALAL Shinsegae Mamee Chief Executive Officer Vuitton Pang Hee Cheah said the JV would not only benefit Mamee but also Malaysians in general as they would soon be able to enjoy authentic Korean sauces. "Currently, it's difficult to get halal Korean sauces at our supermarkets or restaurants," he said, adding that Mamee and Shinsegae Food's respective expertise in making noodles and sauces would lead to the production of authentic and high-quality foodstuffs that were certified halal by the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim). Pang was speaking to Malaysian reporters who were in Seoul as part of a media trip from Jan 22 to 25, organised by Mamee in conjunction with its involvement in the 2018 Winter Olympics' halal kitchen, here. The Winter Olympics will take place from Feb 9 to 25. The halal kitchen operations at the games village will be led by Shinsegae Mamee executive chef Faizul Hazly Ghazali. Viewing the tie-up between Mamee and Shinsegae Food as a platform for Mamee to emerge as a leading supplier of halal Korean food products in this region, Pang said the company also intended to spread its wings to the global market. "The global halal food market is expected to be worth some US$2.55 trillion (RM8 trillion) by 2014. As Mamee is well known for its range of halal food products in Malaysia, we intend to become a leading global player as well." Pang, who is also Mamee Corporate Strategy and Finance Director, said airlines in Malaysia, for instance, could not serve Korean delicacies like bulgogi or bibimpap on their flights from Kuala Lumpur to Seoul due to the difficulty in procuring halal sauces. "Once our (halal) sauces are available in the market, passengers can start enjoying Korean food," he added. MUTUALLY-BENEFICIAL RELATIONSHIP Pang also said that Chef Faizul Hazly's appointment as the Winter Olympics halal kitchen head has indirectly given him the opportunity to develop new Korean recipes that have the potential to penetrate the regional market. "Since this is Mamee's first involvement in a sporting event, we want to make full use of it and learn authentic Korean cooking so that we can develop similar foodstuff for Muslims in Malaysia (and elsewhere)," he said. Shinsegae Mamee Trading Team leader Tae-Woo Kim said the JV between Shinsegae Food and Mamee would result in a win-win situation as it would also lead to the wider availability of halal food in South Korea to meet the needs of Muslims living in that country or travelling there on holiday. Currently, South Korea's limited halal food supplies are certified by the Korea Muslim Federation and the Indonesia Council of Ulema. "The halal market is getting bigger and bigger and it can be one of our big businesses,” said Kim, who is also Shinsegae Food Business Planning Team leader. Pang, meanwhile, said two of Mamee's products that were marketed in South Korea by retailer E-Mart, a subsidiary of Shinsegae Food, were enjoying brisk sales. The products, Mister Potato and Mamee noodle snack, were being marketed under E-Mart's own label called No Brand. In fact, the original flavoured version of Mister Potato has been the top-selling product under the No Brand label for the last two years. Pang added that annually, about 300 containers of the two products were shipped to South Korea. The ramen noodles, which will come in two flavours – kimchi (Korean spicy pickled cabbage) and spicy chicken – will be produced under the Daebak (which in Korean means "great success'') label. It will be marketed by Shinsegae Mamee Sdn Bhd's and is expected to hit the market next month and officially launched in April. The South Korean-Malaysian collaboration will also eventually see the production of authentic sauces commonly used in Korean cuisine. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SIDEBAR MAMEE's ROAD TO SUCCESS Mamee-Double Decker (M) Sdn Bhd's beginnings can be traced back to 1971 when it was known as Pacific Food Products and located in Air Keroh, Melaka (state in southern Malaysia). The small business, founded by Pang Chin Hin and his eldest son Pang Tee Chew, focused on the production of dried noodles and vermicelli. Mamee-Double Decker was incorporated in 1991, with Chin Hin as group Executive Chairman and Tee Chew as Chief Executive Officer. The name Mamee was the brainchild of Chin Hin who felt it was a name that could be easily remembered by children and others as it rhymed with "mummy". With the involvement of the third-generation of the Pang family, the company has developed into one of the largest food and beverage manufacturers in Malaysia. Mamee-Double Decker was listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange in 1992. In 2012, the company was taken private by the Pang family. Mamee-Double Decker has plants across Malaysia and employs over 2,000 staff. Its has expanded its wings to Myanmar and Indonesia and there are plans to get to the Middle East as well. -- BERNAMA