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PEOPLE IN-DEPTH
Meet Ji Hyun Kim, CEO of BriteBelly, Plant-Based Meal Company
June 20, 2022
‘Eat right. Eat bright’. With an aim to provide consumers with healthy, yet delicious food experience and options, BriteBelly was founded in July 2021.
“BriteBelly takes into consideration the values of vegetarianism and veganism and strives to provide varieties of menu options to those who wish to make healthier choices for themselves and the environment. Our goal is to make the experience of eating ‘plant-based meals’ enjoyable and tasty.”
The ECCK met with Ms. Ji Hyun Kim, CEO of BriteBelly to hear the stories of BriteBelly and its plant-based products.
(Photo: Ji Hyun Kim)
Why/how did you start your business? – big move from a journalist right?
My father is a vegetarian. He has not eaten meat since he saw an animal getting slaughtered when he was 11. At first, I did not quite understand him, not to mention how difficult it was for his family, for we never got to eat meat, which I is still one of my favorite foods. However, I think my father’s diet also gave me first-hand experience about how demanding it is to live a life that’s not deemed as “ordinary” or “normal.”
I started my first job as a reporter for the Korea Herald. That’s when I first met ‘Organica,’ the parent of BriteBelly. Organica was a company that grew out of an M&A that Herald Group pursued, and I served as Organica’s Tokyo Branch President. Observing its fast and continuous growth (Organica grew 100 times over the past 8 years) I saw an opportunity for environmentally healthier foods such as ‘plant-based meat.’
In May 2020, wrapping up 20 years at Herald Group after my final position as head of Business Development, I joined Coupang as an Executive Talent Strategist and was able to witness the e-commerce company getting listed on the NYSE. I had already an interest in startups from my experience at Herald when I had co-founded an inhouse venture platform, but that interest grew even bigger at Coupang. Observing the flow of how quick problems get solved by implementing various solutions and methods, I was able to learn of the perks and positive aspects of running and working for start-ups.
Taking into consideration of such factors and the new food trends, such as the rise of Korean cuisine and growing environmental concerns, I saw the potential for immense development in the related fields and joined BriteBelly.
How do you predict the food consumption trend in the future? How big will it grow? In Korea or globally?
As mentioned above, there has been a shift in the food consumption trend and I believe this trend will further grow, both domestically and globally.
BriteBelly’s main target is the so-called ‘Generation MZ’. Our mission of ‘To make plant-based eating a great experience and an easy choice for all.’ fits the needs of the Generation MZ consumers who are aware of the various societal and environmental issues and wish to make differences.
What is your lab doing? Is it different from cooking space to develop a new recipe?
Our R&D team strives toward the goal of developing new and better raw materials to develop plant-based meat from. Our meat has passed many different tests for taste and quality, but we want to make our products taste good enough so consumers can’t tell whether they are eating real meat or not.
The lab is equipped with ingredients, machines, etc. This makes possible the creation of around 100kg of samples every day. The development team which consists of experts from various fields, such as meat processing, frozen goods, packaging, etc. are working at the lab, tasting, and testing samples of roughly around 1,300+ recipes.
(Photo: Ji Hyun Kim)
You have various menu items; Korean marinated meats, Gyozas, Black Bean Noodles, Asian Pizzas and more. Could you tell us your menu selection process? How often do you come up with new products?
We carry out thorough market research. Since BriteBelly started in 2021, we have been carrying out research and conducting taste tests. The results showed there is a high demand for a variety of ‘easy to get’ plant-meat based meals that are rich in Asian flavors. Of course, BriteBelly’s main target is the vegan population. However, we also target those who are not particularly vegan, but wish to make better choices for the environment and inner health.
To give a little hint on our upcoming menu items, plant-based Korean BBQ Bowl, one of our beloved menu items, was sold out just 2 weeks after its release and the review by the consumers were positive. Based on such evaluation and data, we plan to develop more Korean-style rice menu that, not just Koreans but those all over the globe could enjoy easily.
What are the competitiveness of Korean food compared to that of Western you have observed?
As you can tell by the menu items, BriteBelly specializes in plant-based Asian dish. For the past 20 years, the Asian food market has grown significantly and is expected to further continue its growth. With many Asian firms making their way overseas and being acknowledge of their excellence, the interest and awareness of the Asian food is ever-growing.
Among them, Korean food, with its distinctive flavors, various food options, and its ‘sauce’ is beloved by many. With this global trend and increased awareness of the Korean food, BriteBelly also wishes to contribute to further promote its excellence.
(Photo: Ji Hyun Kim)
Can you also satisfy the customers who look for the nutrition balance?
Consumers these days, for example, young moms in their 20-30s are not unconditionally reluctant to ‘instant’ food. Rather, they run thorough checks on the ingredients and decide on which products to choose based on their needs and wants.
In that sense, I find BriteBelly competitive. We use strictly non-animal ingredients that are rich in amino-acid, fiber, and vegetable oil. Substances such as GMO, antibiotics, trans fat and cholesterol are all exempt from our products. Considering this, I believe BriteBelly could satisfy the customers who are highly interested in nutrition balance.
During the pandemic, have you observed any lifestyle changes?
It is true that the food culture paradigm has changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nowadays, more and more people are having simple meals at home rather than going out. Plus, the frozen food market has grown considerably. I believe this trend will further continue with the increase in population of those in their 20-30s who have low rejection to frozen food.
What’s the long-term goal for BriteBelly?
With the increase in demand for plant-based meat and overall growing awareness for making healthier choices for one’s body and the environment, I see an abundant opportunity and a bright future. In the long-term, I wish to develop BriteBelly to the extent where it gains reputation and becomes influential not only in Asia, but worldwide. Currently the plant-based meat market in Europe is showing record-level growth. In line with this, I would like to actively engage in activities that could enable BriteBelly to enter the European market, which is experiencing an astonishing amount of growth.
About BriteBelly
BriteBelly’s products are available at various online retail platforms. For more information about BriteBelly and its products, please see below:
✔ BriteBelly Profile (in pdf)
✔ Website: http://en.britebellyfood.com/index
✔ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/britebelly/
