Daesang Successfully Concludes First Participation at Japan’s Largest Retail Trade Show, “SMTS 2026,” Showcasing the Excellence of K-Fermented Foods

– Operated promotional sales space at Japan’s largest meals and retail exhibition from Feb. 18–20, attracting roughly 10,000 guests over three days
– Promoted Ok-food with Jongga and O’meals manufacturers; 4 tasting menus reflecting native meals developments obtained favorable opinions

SEOUL, South Korea, Feb. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Daesang introduced on the twenty third that it efficiently concluded its first participation within the “Grocery store Commerce Present 2026 (SMTS 2026),” Japan’s largest meals and retail exhibition, held for 3 days from February 18 to twenty in Chiba Prefecture, Japan.

Hosted by the New Grocery store Affiliation of Japan, SMTS 2026 is the nation’s largest specialised exhibition for the meals and retail business, providing a complete view of the most recent developments within the Japanese distribution sector. Celebrating its sixtieth anniversary this 12 months, the exhibition recorded its largest scale ever, with roughly 2,200 corporations from 16 nations taking part and round 83,000 guests in attendance.

Marking its first look on the occasion, Daesang highlighted its No.1* kimchi model “Jongga” and world meals model “O’meals,” efficiently selling its differentiated Ok-food competitiveness rooted in superior fermentation know-how and reinforcing its place as Korea’s main complete meals firm.

*Supply: NIELSEN KOREA 2007–2024 Kimchi Gross sales Quantity & Worth

Through the exhibition, Daesang’s sales space attracted roughly 10,000 guests, drawing important consideration. The corporate held enterprise conferences with representatives from main Japanese retailers and regional grocery store chains, together with AEON, Costco, and Ministop. Amid robust curiosity from world retail patrons, Daesang engaged in detailed discussions towards new provide agreements, reaching tangible enterprise outcomes.

Merchandise showcasing the experience of one of many world’s main fermentation specialists garnered explicit consideration, particularly kimchi and conventional Korean sauces. As Japan’s kimchi consumption pattern shifts from non-fermented to fermented varieties, distributors expressed robust curiosity in itemizing “Ilpum Kimchi,” which delivers the genuine style of conventional Korean fermented kimchi. As well as, “O’meals Gochujang,” crafted utilizing conventional strategies inherited from Sunchang—the birthplace of Korean jang (fermented sauces)—additionally drew eager curiosity.

The tasting program, designed to mirror native meals tradition developments, proved to be a serious spotlight. Below the idea of “Delica” meals—ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook objects which might be more and more widespread in Japanese supermarkets—Daesang launched 4 stylish menu objects using kimchi and gochujang: Stir-fried Kimchi Egg Gimbap, Water Parsley Gochujang Shrimp Gangjeong, Kimchi Tuna Mayo Sandwich, and Gochujang Nikujaga. These dishes demonstrated how kimchi and gochujang can simply improve umami flavors in on a regular basis meals. All 2,400 servings of the 4 featured tasting menus had been utterly offered out, together with an extra 2,600 servings of Mat Kimchi and Dubu Kimchi ready for sampling.

Chiharu Asao, a Japanese meals influencer who developed the tasting menu, commented, “We created a fusion dish by including kimchi to tamagoyaki, a well-known Japanese egg dish, making certain that the spiciness and umami of Ilpum Kimchi harmonize with the delicate texture of the egg. Though some guests had been initially unfamiliar with the concept of kimchi in a sandwich, they had been pleasantly stunned by how effectively the flavors complemented one another after tasting it.”

The sales space, designed to embody Daesang’s company imaginative and prescient, additionally drew important consideration. That includes a particular design impressed by tree rings, a big LED display, and an area replicating a Japanese grocery store show, the sales space stood out prominently throughout the exhibition corridor. Brochures and tasting containers incorporating conventional Korean mother-of-pearl craftsmanship additional conveyed the corporate’s dedication and authenticity in fermented meals.

Guests shared constructive suggestions, commenting, “The purple sales space design harking back to kimchi was spectacular,” “The mother-of-pearl design elegantly captured Korean aesthetics,” and “The concord with Japanese delicacies exceeded expectations,” including to the colourful environment on web site.

Lim Jung-bae, CEO of Daesang Company, said, “Our participation in SMTS 2026 served as an necessary alternative to reaffirm the standing of fermented meals—the core of Ok-food—within the Japanese market and to develop our native distribution community. Transferring ahead, we are going to proceed to introduce revolutionary merchandise tailor-made to the existence of native customers, led by Jongga and O’meals, to additional strengthen our presence in Japan.”

Based 70 years in the past, Daesang has been strengthening its world competitiveness. The corporate established Daesang Japan Inc. in 1978 to formally enter the Japanese market. Presently, it exports a variety of merchandise, together with kimchi, seasonings, conventional sauces, sauces, and ready-to-eat meals. In 2023, it established Daesang Meals Japan Inc. to safe native manufacturing capabilities. As well as, final 12 months the corporate hosted the “Kimchi Blast Tokyo 2025” pop-up occasion on Cat Road in Shibuya, Tokyo, mixing Korean kimchi tradition with Japanese life-style developments and increasing shopper engagement within the native market.