Pulmuone’s shelf-stable products surge as first-half sales jump 25.5%

Pulmuone, long known for fresh, refrigerated and frozen foods, is making a stronger push into products that can be stored at room temperature. The strategy produced record first-half sales for the category.

Pulmuone Food said shelf-stable product sales increased 25.5% from the same period last year. The company had identified the business as a key priority alongside its established refrigerated and frozen lines. Early last year, it operated a dedicated task force for three months to set its strategy and finalize a new-product roadmap.

The company then extended its product development capabilities and brand reach into shelf-stable noodles, soups, Korean seasonings and beverages. Longer shelf lives make these products easier to distribute overseas than chilled or frozen goods, while also offering potential benefits for operating margins, the company said.

Online distribution has been a particularly strong channel. Shelf-stable products are easier to store and deliver, and online sales rose 51.9% in the first half. That figure was 791.8% higher than in the first half of 2021, before Pulmuone had built a full shelf-stable lineup, and 373% above the first half of 2023. Shelf-stable items accounted for 13% of Pulmuone Food’s total food sales, up from about 7% in the first half of 2024.

Individual product lines also posted strong results. Pulmuone introduced the shelf-stable beverage brand I’m Real 100, adapting technology from its fresh-fruit juice brand I’m Real. Its concentrated flagship product passed 20 million cumulative units sold after 18 months and began exports to China in late March.

The company has also promoted its Bandoot Hansik premium Korean-food brand in shelf-stable soups, broths and sauces. Shelf-stable soup products launched in 2022 recorded average annual growth of 160.4% through 2025, while shelf-stable Korean sauces launched in 2024 maintained growth above 80%. Monthly sales of four shelf-stable noodle products launched last August, including stir-fried jjajang, stir-fried jjamppong, udon and kalguksu, rose more than sixfold from their early levels.

Pulmuone added soy milk, tofu chips, two natto-based products, two pasta products and its Earth Diet Slim Fit Bean Noodles during the first half. Global marketing chief Yoon Myung-rang said the company would continue using its research and development capabilities and brand strength to make shelf-stable products a new growth engine, targeting both higher sales and stronger profitability.

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We will continue introducing differentiated shelf-stable products based on the R&D capabilities and brand power we have built, making the shelf-stable business a new growth engine to achieve both sales growth and stronger profitability.