At Schwan's Company's production plant in Beaumont, California, more than 350,000 pounds, or about 160 tons, of dumplings are made every day. Of that total, Bibigo dumplings account for about 250,000 pounds, or roughly 113 tons, a day. Based on 187-gram steamed Bibigo dumplings, that comes to more than 860,000 pieces daily. It takes about 60 minutes for raw ingredients to become finished products ready for packaging. In the final stage of the process, robotic arms were lifting packaged products and moving them onto pallets.
The Beaumont plant, which was visited on the 15th local time, is one of CJ CheilJedang's key K-food production bases in the United States. It produces food locally to suit American tastes while preserving the core of Korean cuisine, then supplies those products across the country. Its lineup goes beyond dumplings and includes fried rice, seaweed, sauces and noodles.
The Beaumont plant is the largest of Schwan's Company's production facilities in the United States. More than 600 employees work on a site of about 41,249 square meters. Its annual production capacity stands at 120 million pounds, or about 60,000 tons. Four dumpling lines, two fried rice lines and seaweed production lines are currently operating.
The tour that day began with noodles and continued through fried rice, dumplings and the packaging process. Dumplings are the plant's main product. The facility handles about 58% of Schwan's Company's total dumpling output and about 60% of Bibigo dumpling production.
Automation is also applied in the dumpling production process. The automation rate is around 70%. Dough preparation and supply, pouch packaging and palletizing are largely handled by automated equipment. Workers are not involved in the steaming and cooling stages, and only a small number of staff members handle material supply and inspection in some automated processes.
On the production line that day, the shaped dumplings moved along a conveyor belt. In the final stage, robotic arms lifted the packaged products and stacked them on pallets.
Another major focus at the Beaumont plant is localization. The company keeps the basic character of Korean food while reflecting American consumers' tastes and food culture in its products.
Dumplings are a good example. Instead of the pork and chives commonly used in Korean dumplings, the company is introducing Chicken & Cilantro Mini Wontons made with chicken and cilantro. CJ CheilJedang's U.S. unit also operates a dumpling R&D team that develops products tailored to local tastes and food culture.
Melissa Thompson-Trupp, vice president in charge of Asian food manufacturing at Schwan's Company, said, "Listening to local consumers is what we value most." She added, "Our localization strategy means adapting Korean food while keeping its core framework."
Localization is not limited to dumplings. Schwan's Company also plans to launch K-ramyeon products inspired by K-sauce flavors. Thompson-Trupp said, "We are thinking about how to stay true to Korean food while also reflecting the preferences consumers already have."
Localization applies not only to taste but also to the way products are consumed. Thompson-Trupp pointed to packaging convenience as one of the factors American consumers care about most.
CJ CheilJedang has steadily expanded its production base in the United States. Since beginning to sell processed foods in the U.S. in 2003, it has acquired local food companies such as Annie Chun's, Omni Food Inc., TMI Trading and Kahiki Foods. In 2019, it acquired frozen food company Schwan's, further expanding its U.S. business. It now operates a total of 20 food production facilities in the United States. CJ CheilJedang's official materials also list 20 production bases in the U.S.
Its sales channels are also becoming more diversified. The company sells products through major retailers such as Walmart Inc., Costco Wholesale Corporation and Target, while also expanding consumer access through convenience stores, restaurants, school, university and hospital cafeterias, e-commerce and ethnic markets.
The expansion of its U.S. business has also been reflected in its results. CJ CheilJedang's U.S. sales rose from 3.3286 trillion won in 2020 to 4.9136 trillion won in 2025. Last year, the U.S. accounted for 82.9% of total overseas food sales. Bibigo holds the No. 1 sales position in the U.S. B2C frozen dumpling market. CJ CheilJedang also presents Bibigo as the leading dumpling brand in the U.S. market.
Thompson-Trupp said, "We are still growing, and we can expect to keep growing." She added, "We are ready to build the fastest-growing food company in North America."
Beaumont, U.S. = Reporter Moon Ji-yeon lunamoon@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
