CJ CheilJedang Expands Bibigo’s K-Food Reach in Latin America Through Mexico

CJ CheilJedang is broadening its global Korean food brand, Bibigo, in Mexico, capitalizing on the surge in Korean culture's popularity to launch a diverse range of K-food products for Latin American consumers. The company showcased this expansion at the 2026 Mexico K-Expo, held from September 24 to 27 at the World Trade Center Mexico City, where Bibigo offered product tastings and engaging content to local visitors.

The K-Expo, coordinated by South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency, aimed to promote Korean cultural content and consumer products, including food and beauty items, to bolster their overseas market presence. For CJ CheilJedang, the expo served as another avenue to connect with consumers in a region with a rising interest in Korean pop culture.

Instead of emphasizing just product displays, CJ CheilJedang crafted its Bibigo booth around interactive experiences, featuring digital content and themed zones inspired by K-pop group ALPHA DRIVE ONE, Bibigo's worldwide brand ambassador. Participants could engage in activities that highlighted the unique attributes of Korean cuisine, such as spicy, sweet, and savory flavors.

The company provided tastings of items like Hetbahn cooked rice paired with Bibigo gochujang sauce, Bibigo noodles, K-sauces, and seaweed snacks. This strategy underscores CJ CheilJedang's commitment to linking enthusiasm for Korean entertainment with tangible food experiences. According to a 2025 Statista survey referenced by CJ CheilJedang, 67.1% of Mexican respondents indicated that K-pop was either well-known or popular in the country, and 66% shared the same viewpoint for Korean dramas.

CJ CheilJedang intends to leverage Bibigo's extensive product range, which includes dumplings, cooked rice, kimchi, Korean sauces, and seaweed products, to enhance consumer engagement in Mexico and other Latin American markets. The company's entry into Mexico coincides with its ongoing growth in overseas food sales, which surged by 43% over five years, climbing from 4.13 trillion won in 2020 to 5.92 trillion won in 2025.

During the first half of 2025 alone, overseas food sales reached 3.06 trillion won, marking a more than 7% increase compared to the same period the previous year. CJ CheilJedang has been scaling up Bibigo's presence in established markets like the United States while intensifying consumer marketing efforts in regions where demand for Korean food is on the rise.

The company has introduced similar initiatives in the United States, such as seaweed sampling campaigns at Major League Soccer and Major League Baseball games. In Mexico, CJ CheilJedang is employing a comparable approach by leveraging K-pop as a gateway to Korean cuisine, subsequently connecting this interest with tasting and experiencing Korean food.

This strategy also presents an opportunity for CJ CheilJedang to introduce a broader array of K-food offerings beyond Bibigo's more recognized categories, aiming to enhance awareness among consumers in Mexico and neighboring Latin American nations. "We observed a strong interest in Korean food and Bibigo among local consumers at the K-Expo," remarked a CJ CheilJedang spokesperson.

"We will persist in presenting a wider variety of Korean flavors through Bibigo in Mexico and South America."