Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: Meeting
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Ahh. It was too much money to turn down.
The president Simon I met when I went to New York.
I'd sent him a bit of soy sauce and doenjang just to give it a taste, and a few days later, he called in a frenzy.
He said the taste of their signature menu item, seasoned short ribs, was on an entirely different level.
He didn't know about the doenjang, but he begged me to sell him the soy sauce at least.
I politely refused at first.
But he pleaded, asking if I couldn't send even a small amount that wouldn't affect Babsang.
It seemed like it would only be for the New York main store anyway, and I was steadily increasing my stock of earthenware jars for fermentation.
Who knows, maybe I'd need a favor from him someday.
In the end, I agreed to sell it at a pretty good price.
After arranging to ship it in barrels within a few days, I headed to the office for a bit.
A business only becomes a real business once it's fully systematized.
And Hansang Corporation was steadily building that system.
If it were a ship, I'd be the captain.
CEO John was the navigator, and the employees were the crew.
The reason I came to the office today was to hear the report on the "lunchbox business" we'd discussed last time.
Hansang Corporation headquarters meeting room.
The moment I walked in, the meeting began.
All the department team leaders, including CEO John, were gathered.
Today's briefer was Team Leader Yoo Yeon-seok from the Food Development Department.
He was a talent we'd scouted from a major Korean corporation's food research lab.
Team Leader Yoo stood up and began the presentation.
"As everyone knows, the U.S. lunchbox market—or 'meal prep' market—is enormous. And with growing interest in health, it's expanding explosively every year."
He brought up a graph.
"And right now, interest in Korean food is higher than ever. Especially with the perception that it's healthy Korean cuisine. So, our team's proposal is this: establish a separate food factory to mass-produce Korean lunchboxes."
This was the content I'd received in the email last time, now fleshed out in detail.
"The main targets are corporate offices and various work sites. Even just in the Silicon Valley area nearby, there are hundreds of companies providing lunch for their employees. If we supply them with lunchboxes carrying Babsang's quality... we can expect tremendous revenue."
Babsang had limited seating.
But lunchboxes were different.
I nodded at Team Leader Yoo's briefing.
The direction was good.
But the details were what mattered.
"Team Leader Yoo."
"Yes, President."
"So, how have you prepared the specific lunchbox compositions? They need to suit American tastes."
At my question, Team Leader Yoo smiled as if he'd been waiting.
"Of course. I'll explain right away."
Team Leader Yoo clicked the remote, and an appetizing lunchbox photo appeared on the large conference room screen.
"First composition: Seoul Bulgogi Box."
On the screen, the main compartment was generously filled with rice and bulgogi, while the upper section held kimchi, braised fish cake, and shredded potatoes.
"We made bulgogi the main dish since it's the most familiar to Americans and has no strong likes or dislikes. Soy sauce-based, so no aversion, and we added kimchi and shredded potatoes to emphasize the healthy image."
Oh, not bad.
Team Leader Yoo advanced the screen.
"Second: Spicy Pork Box. That's stir-fried pork."
This time, spicy-looking stir-fried pork was accompanied by rolled omelet, japchae, and corn salad.
"Thanks to K-dramas, interest in 'spicy flavors' is high. But we can't just make it blindly hot. We used a gochujang base with a touch of pineapple sauce for a sweet-spicy taste. Japchae and rolled omelet balance the heat."
Sweet and salty, then sweet and spicy. The combo Americans go crazy for.
"Finally, Garden Bibimbap Box. This targets vegan and health-conscious customers."
A colorful array of seasoned vegetables and fresh greens.
"Instead of gochujang, we provide a separate Oriental dressing based on Hansang's soy sauce."
"......"
Team Leader Yoo's briefing ended.
"Team Leader Yoo."
"Yes, President."
Team Leader Yoo looked brimming with confidence.
"Good compositions... but aren't these too similar to our Babsang menu?"
"......"
"Localizing for American tastes is fine. But this... it feels like it erases too much of Korean cuisine's identity."
Babsang was Babsang, and the lunchboxes needed to be a separate brand.
"Aim to maintain Korean identity just enough to avoid aversion from Americans. Redo the compositions."
"...Yes, understood, President. We'll review the menu compositions again."
"And how do you plan to price them?"
At my next question, Team Leader Yoo answered as if prepared.
"Ah, pricing... The average U.S. meal prep lunchbox is $12 to $15. We plan to set ours a bit higher, at around $18. Some key ingredients central to the taste—like gochugaru or sesame oil—have to be imported directly from Korea, so it's unavoidable. To maintain quality, we judged this price necessary."
Hmm.
That made sense.
"Prices will vary by composition, right?"
"Yes."
"Vegans are pretty common in the U.S., so the bibimbap looks good. Keep that. For development, collaborate with the cafeteria team's nutritionists and chefs specializing in Korean cuisine to create a variety of menus. Not just packed lunchboxes—develop single main-dish items too. We'll select from them based on evaluations from me and others later."
Tastes varied by person, so evaluations were needed.
"Soups are still tricky, right?"
"Yes, since they'll be microwaved, including them in the lunchbox composition seems difficult."
Team Leader Yoo replied.
"But selling soup separately should be fine."
"Hmm~ Is that so? Then plan that too. Ah! Is the Procurement Department team leader here?"
"Yes, present."
Procurement Department Team Leader Robert raised his hand.
The department handled all ingredients for the cafeteria business unit and Babsang.
"Ah! Team Leader Robert. Among the purchases, what's the highest-volume ingredient?"
"Mostly items imported from Korea take up the bulk. Fortunately, produce like ours is directly produced, so it doesn't cost much... but there's tariffs, and with Korean food's popularity rising here lately, items like seaweed have seen massive price hikes."
I already knew seaweed was selling big in the U.S.
Thanks to the popularity of kimbap.
"Then, compile a list of purchased items with sharply rising prices or those that could be produced locally in the U.S., and report it."
"Yes, understood."
Like the farm, anything producible in the U.S. was better done in-house long-term.
"HR team leader?"
"Yes, President."
"Are you managing the Korean hires well? How's the recruitment going?"
"Excellent candidates are applying in droves. Especially for Babsang manager positions, and those without experience are applying heavily for regular Babsang staff roles."
"Hire them if no disqualifiers, and put them straight into fieldwork. We'll need them as factories and Babsang chains expand. And... if needed, hire farm management staff too."
"Yes. But as you mentioned before, maintaining a 7 Americans to 3 Koreans ratio—should we keep structuring hires that way going forward?"
"Yes. Hiring too many Koreans looks like capital outflow to the government. For basic labor, prioritize locals around the sites. Hiring regionally creates jobs."
"Yes. We'll continue that way."
In truth, hiring only Koreans could draw government ire.
With job shortages already a hot issue, actively hiring locals in factory or restaurant areas was the right call.
"...Any other agenda items?"
I was starting to wrap up the meeting.
We were in the startup phase, busy just executing existing tasks.
We ended the meeting by just setting directions.
I headed to the main store.
I had no intention of leaving this place.
Like my hometown, perhaps?
Felt like I'd live here until I died of old age.
"Whoa, busy again today."
The main store staff were all veterans now, handling the crowds smoothly.
Dong-hyun managed well too.
"Hey, you here?"
Dong-hyun stood solidly at the entrance, greeting me.
"Yeah. Nothing going on?"
"Same old. How'd the company stuff go?"
"Don't need to go in for a while."
"Really? Oh yeah, you know that thing?"
"What?"
"Managers made a group chat."
"What? Me?"
"Why would you join when it's staff? Let them have their fun."
True enough.
Nothing worse than the boss in the group chat.
"But why you?"
I asked curiously.
"I'm a manager too. And in a way, they're my disciples."
Dong-hyun laughed happily, looking thrilled.
"Anything else from the other stores?"
"Man, hearing their complaints takes me back. They're swamped soothing staff."
True, newly opened stores must be tough.
Watching the main store staff work, they were truly seasoned pros.
Not one looked strained.
Humans really are adaptable creatures.
"By the way, you heading to Korea for the holidays this year?"
Chuseok was coming up soon, so I asked.
"You giving vacation?"
He looked eager to go.
"Go ahead. I'll mind the store. I have to anyway."
"Really? You're serious?"
"Yeah. Take a full week off."
"Nice."
"But skip Lunar New Year. Pick one per year—Chuseok or Seollal."
"Got it. Gotta book a flight today."
Seeing Dong-hyun happy about going back to Korea after so long, I thought, this is welfare.
Reward for all his hard work.
As for me...
I wondered if I'd ever go back.
The Korean government already looked on me unfavorably.
No telling what might happen if I went, so no real urge to visit.