Pulmuone has launched a plant-based brand in Korea, offering meatless versions of dishes such as rice bowls, dumplings, noodles in black bean sauce, and spicy rice cakes.
The new dishes are made with textured vegetable protein (TVP) instead of meat. The TVP recipe is unique to the brand and was developed in collaboration with Ingredion and Danisco Nutrition and Bioscience.
“We will develop Korean-style dishes aimed at establishing unrivaled competitiveness”
Pulmuone, best known for products such as tofu, ramen, and seaweed, announced last year that it would be entering the plant-based market in China, Japan, the USA, and Korea. In the US, the company launched a meat-free range in 2020 under the brand name Plantspired. These products are available for retail and are also supplied to foodservice outlets such as restaurants and school cafeterias.
In the near future, Pulmuone plans to launch more plant-based products in Korea, including ham and ganjeong (deep-fried rice puffs coated in syrup).
Other ventures
In 2020, Pulmuone partnered with BlueNalu, with the goal of eventually bringing cultivated seafood to South Korea. Pulmuone said it entered the collaboration in recognition that the conventional seafood industry is “compromised, unpredictable and cannot keep up with demand”.
In May of this year, the company opened a fully vegan restaurant called Plantude in Gangnam, Seoul. The restaurant offers 13 dishes and has been certified by the Korea Agency of Vegan Assessment & Certification.
“Unlike existing plant-based meats that focused mainly on western dishes and hamburger patties, we will develop Korean-style dishes aimed at establishing unrivaled competitiveness,” said a Pulmuone representative.
