bibigo Frozen Gimbap Sales Jumped 59%. The Rolls Are in 4,734 U.S. Stores.

CJ CheilJedang said Thursday that U.S. sales of bibigo frozen gimbap rose 59 percent from January through July. The seaweed rice rolls are now in 4,734 stores, up from 1,924 a year earlier, across ten mainstream grocery chains.

The freezer run started at Kroger in December 2024. Albertsons, Food Lion, Cub, and Meijer came next. CJ Schwan’s, the U.S. affiliate that makes and ships bibigo here, counts those banners toward the ten-chain total. The American lineup is two flavors for now: Bulgogi and Spicy Bulgogi.

Gimbap, also spelled kimbap, is a Korean rice roll wrapped in gim, the roasted seaweed sheet. The rice takes sesame oil and salt rather than sushi vinegar. Cooked and pickled fillings go inside, then the cylinder is sliced into coins you can eat with your hands. bibigo’s pack is meant for the microwave: a few minutes, a short rest, then unwrap.

CJ wants this category to travel the way mandu did. bibigo dumplings already lead the U.S. frozen dumpling aisle; company figures put the brand near 41 percent of that market in 2024. The Korea Times reported Thursday that CJ sees gimbap following dumplings into everyday American meals, next to the same lunch habits that already favor sandwiches and burritos.

In Los Angeles, the company has been sampling under the line “OG Recognizes OG,” a play on original gimbap, with creator Danny Kim of dannygrubs on Melrose and TikTok. Federico Arreola, who leads Asian cuisine at CJ Schwan’s, has called gimbap a Korean everyday snack he wants Americans to keep around.

Capacity is already built for more boxes. In March, CJ said it finished a fully automated frozen-gimbap line at its Blossom Campus in Jincheon, South Korea. The frozen rolls launched globally in 2023. In U.S. grocery, the story this week is distribution: far more freezers than last year, and sales that moved with them.