Featuring Seasonal Ingredients... CU Launches Three Summer Bibimbap Varieties

Bibimbap with Crunchy Chili Peppers, Cucumber Kimchi, and Asian Chives

Convenience store chain CU, operated by BGF Retail, announced on July 19 that it has launched three new summer bibimbap ready meals, each based on seasonal ingredient recipes that have gained popularity on social networking services (SNS). The strategy is to commercialize trending online recipes in order to target the expanding demand for convenient meal solutions.

CU introduced three new summer bibimbap varieties featuring crunchy chili peppers, cucumber kimchi, and Asian chives. Each product is priced at 4,900 won. This new release was planned in response to the recent surge in popularity of seasonal ingredient recipes on SNS. Earlier this year, spring cabbage bibimbap was a hit; now, as bibimbap recipes featuring garlic scapes and gochujang gain traction, related ingredient demand has risen accordingly.

Provided by CU.

In July, CU also commercialized and launched a garlic scape bibimbap, a recipe that had gone viral on SNS. Just two weeks after launch, this product soared to second place in the lunchbox category for sales. In fact, from July 1 to July 16, sales in CU’s bibimbap category increased by 23.9% year-on-year. The company explained that the new products featuring seasonal ingredients are a reflection of this heightened demand.

The Crunchy Chili Pepper Bibimbap features green chili peppers and soy sauce bulgogi paired with signature ssamjang, delivering a crisp texture along with a sweet and spicy flavor profile. The Cucumber Kimchi Bibimbap highlights tangy and sweet seasoned cucumber kimchi, while the Asian Chive Bibimbap includes aromatic fresh chives and seasoned pork, all paired with minced meat, to appeal to summer appetites.

CU plans to continue expanding its ready meal lineup with dishes that reflect seasonal ingredients and evolving consumer trends. The company will also introduce more unique bibimbap options, such as those incorporating shishito pepper jangjorim or spicy silbi kimchi, in successive launches.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.