Eugene Cha-Navarro knew she wasn’t just entering a new market when she took the helm of CJ Foods Oceania. She was entering what she calls “a richly multicultural, curious, and values-driven society” where the old playbook of simply exporting products wouldn’t cut it.
“Australia isn’t just a new region on a corporate map; it’s a unique opportunity to localise global tradition, connect meaningfully with communities, and shape the future of food in ways that are both authentic and inclusive,” says the Managing Director and CEO. Her approach has turned CJ Foods into a case study for how global brands can successfully localise without losing their identity.
The company’s Korean staples: kimchi, dumplings, ready meals are now moving from specialty grocers to mainstream supermarket shelves, powered by a strategy that goes far deeper than translation and packaging. The secret here is that instead of treating Australia as a market to sell into, CJ Foods treats it as a community to become part of.
The localisation gamble
Most global food brands entering Australia follow a predictable pattern: find a distributor, adapt packaging for local regulations, maybe tweak the marketing message. CJ Foods took a radically different approach, investing in local manufacturing, R&D, and community engagement from day one.
“We often say our food is born in Korea and made in Australia, and that’s a reflection of how seriously we take localisation,” Cha-Navarro explains. “It’s not just about packaging; it’s about sourcing local ingredients, understanding local tastes, and building relationships with Australian farmers and producers. When consumers know their kimchi was made with napa cabbage grown in Victoria or Queensland, it creates a deeper connection and that’s what drives real brand relevance.”
This hands-on approach required significant upfront investment, but it’s paying dividends in ways that pure import strategies cannot match. By sourcing locally, CJ Foods aligns with Australian consumer values around provenance and sustainability while building stronger supply chain relationships. More importantly, it positions the brand as a local employer and community contributor rather than just another foreign import.
The strategy addresses a fundamental challenge facing global brands in Australia’s increasingly sophisticated market: consumers can sense authenticity from a mile away. Australians’ openness to new flavours and strong multicultural identity make them receptive to Korean cuisine, but only when it feels genuinely integrated into local food culture rather than parachuted in from overseas.
Australia as global innovation lab
Perhaps most intriguingly, CJ Foods doesn’t just see Australia as a market to serve: it sees it as a laboratory for global innovation. The company uses Australian consumer feedback to inform product development decisions that ripple across its global operations. “What has truly surprised me about Australia is the appetite for exploration,” says Cha-Navarro. “From school playgrounds to the supermarket, Australians are curious about international cuisines and keen to experiment. I’ve met everyday Australians who know more about Chinese dim sum or Korean street food than I expected, not necessarily because they’ve travelled, but because Australia has welcomed and integrated these foods into everyday life.”
This food curiosity creates ideal conditions for product testing and innovation. CJ Foods uses Australia to trial new categories like ready meals, snacks, and locally inspired flavours before expanding to other regions. The diverse, multicultural consumer base provides feedback that helps shape smarter global rollouts. “We’re not just importing tradition, we’re changing it,” Cha-Navarro adds. “Australia is the perfect place to test new flavours, categories, and formats and what we learn here helps shape how we roll out products globally. bibigo, our flagship brand, aims to become a household name not because it’s Korean, but because it’s good. It excites me to imagine a future where bibigo dumplings become a familiar and loved staple in Australian homes.”
This innovation-first approach transforms Australia from a cost center into a strategic asset. Rather than simply replicating products that work in Korea, CJ Foods develops Australia-specific insights that inform global product development—a far more valuable proposition than traditional market expansion.
Community integration as competitive advantage
The third pillar of CJ Foods’ strategy involves deep community engagement that goes well beyond traditional marketing. The company actively supports migrant-owned grocery stores through social media amplification, collaborates with schools and grassroots organisations, and engages in product sampling at cultural and sporting events. Partnerships like the one with the Sydney Swans serve dual purposes: increasing product visibility while embedding the brand in local cultural institutions. But it’s the smaller, less visible community initiatives that demonstrate the depth of CJ Foods’ commitment to becoming part of Australia’s social fabric.
“Being part of a market like Australia means contributing to the community, not just selling into it,” reflects Cha-Navarro. “We support independent grocery stores, work with schools, and partner with local initiatives that make a real impact. When we donated bibigo meals to the Caritas team heading to Papua New Guinea, it wasn’t about brand exposure, it was about supporting people through something as simple and meaningful as food.”
This community-first approach creates competitive advantages that pure marketing spend cannot replicate. By building genuine relationships with local communities, CJ Foods develops brand loyalty that transcends price competition and category trends. For Cha-Navarro, this community integration reflects a broader philosophy about authentic leadership in global business: “I work in food and I love what I do. I taste what we make. I feed it to my child. I trust it. That, to me, is the ultimate test of leadership, not just scaling a brand, but standing behind it.”
The CJ Foods approach offers a blueprint for how global brands can successfully localise in sophisticated markets like Australia. By investing in local manufacturing, using markets as innovation labs, and prioritising community integration over pure distribution, the company has created a sustainable competitive advantage that extends far beyond any single product or campaign.
“Food is deeply personal – it’s memory, identity, and connection,” concludes Cha-Navarro. “Our goal is to make products that feel familiar, even if they’re new, and to become part of everyday life in Australia. When a brand feels like it belongs, that’s when you know you’ve truly earned your place in the market.”
For global brands seeking growth beyond their home markets, CJ Foods’ Australian strategy suggests that success comes not from treating new markets as territories to conquer, but as communities to join.
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