Ottogi

Ottogi Corporation is a South Korean food-manufacturing company headquartered in Anyang, with the Ottogi Center in Seoul. Founded in May 1969 by Ham Tae-ho, the company began with Ottogi Curry, described in reference material as Korea’s first domestically produced curry powder. From that initial product, Ottogi developed into a broad packaged-food business serving both household consumers and food-service demand. The company expanded its range during its first years. It introduced soup products in 1970, ketchup in 1971, and mayonnaise in 1972, each representing an early domestic production milestone in its respective category. These products helped establish Ottogi as a general food company rather than a single-category specialist. Its portfolio subsequently grew to include seasonings, sauces, powdered foods, prepared meals, retort-pouch products, dehydrated foods, processed grains, noodles, edible oils, spices, tea, seafood and meat products, and frozen foods. Several products have become closely associated with the Ottogi name in South Korea. Ottogi Curry remains a foundational line, while Jin Ramen gives the company a major presence in instant noodles. Other widely recognized offerings include Tomato Ketchup, Mayonnaise, 3 Minutes Meals, cooked rice, sesame oil, frozen pizza, and canned tuna. Together, these products position Ottogi around everyday cooking, convenience, familiarity, and broad household availability. Its proposition combines ready-to-use formats with ingredients and condiments used in ordinary Korean meals. Ottogi also operates through affiliated companies, including Ottogi Ramyon, Ottogi Sesame Mills, and Ottogi Frozen Foods. International expansion began with a China branch in 1994, followed by a United States branch in 2005 and a Vietnam branch in 2007. These operations support the company’s participation in overseas markets while its core commercial identity remains strongly connected to Korean food culture and domestic retail distribution. The company became publicly listed in August 1994 and is included in the KOSPI 200 according to the referenced Wikipedia material. Its reported total revenue exceeded one trillion Korean won in 2007, two trillion won in 2017, and three trillion won in 2022; these figures are historical milestones rather than current financial guidance. In 2024, Ottogi received an integrated A grade in an evaluation by the Korea ESG Standards Institute, improving from B+ in the prior year. The cited evaluation reported an improvement in the environmental and governance categories to A, while the social category remained at A+. Ottogi’s present business scope is therefore broader than its best-known curry and noodle products. It is a large, diversified Korean food house spanning shelf-stable staples, cooking aids, instant foods, refrigerated and frozen products, prepared meals, oils, grains, seafood, and meat-related processed foods. Its brand positioning is mass-market and convenience-oriented, with emphasis on products that simplify home preparation while retaining familiar Korean flavors.

Ottogi was established in May 1969 by Ham Tae-ho in South Korea. Its first product was Ottogi Curry, a powdered curry product presented in the reference material as the first curry product made domestically in Korea. The launch gave the company an early identity based on adapting internationally familiar food formats for Korean consumers and created the foundation for a much broader food portfolio. During the first phase of its development, Ottogi expanded beyond curry into several everyday categories. It introduced soup in 1970, ketchup in 1971, and mayonnaise in 1972. These launches strengthened its role as a general food manufacturer and placed the company in multiple household-use categories, including cooking ingredients, table condiments, and meal accompaniments. Over time, the portfolio developed to cover sauces, seasonings, powders, instant foods, prepared meals, retort-pouch products, dehydrated foods, processed grains, noodles, edible oils, spices, tea, seafood, meat products, and frozen foods. Ottogi’s growth also included the creation and operation of affiliated businesses. The reference material identifies Ottogi Ramyon, Ottogi Sesame Mills, and Ottogi Frozen Foods among its affiliates. These businesses correspond to important parts of the wider product system: instant noodles, sesame-based oils and ingredients, and frozen prepared foods. The structure allowed the Ottogi group to participate in several food categories while preserving a common corporate and consumer-facing identity. The company entered the public market in August 1994. That same year, it established a branch in China, marking an early step in international operations. It later opened a United States branch in 2005 and a Vietnam branch in 2007. The overseas presence broadened the company’s distribution and manufacturing-related activities beyond South Korea, while its principal brand recognition continued to come from Korean consumers and Korean-style food products. Ottogi’s domestic portfolio became increasingly associated with products designed for convenient household preparation. Its curry line remained a signature offering, while Jin Ramen established a major instant-noodle presence. The company also developed recognizable offerings in ketchup, mayonnaise, three-minute prepared meals, cooked rice, sesame oil, frozen pizza, and canned tuna. This mix enabled Ottogi to serve both cooking from basic ingredients and highly convenient meal occasions. The company’s reported revenue milestones illustrate its expansion: the reference material states that total revenue exceeded one trillion Korean won in 2007, two trillion won in 2017, and three trillion won in 2022. These figures are included as historical thresholds cited by the source, not as independently verified current financial statements. Ottogi is also described as listed on the KOSPI 200. In the 2024 Korea ESG Standards Institute evaluation cited by the source, Ottogi received an integrated A grade, one step above the previous year’s B+ result. The environmental and governance categories reportedly improved from B+ to A, while the social category remained at A+. This provides a recent indication of the company’s assessed sustainability and governance profile, although the evaluation does not by itself describe all of Ottogi’s environmental, labor, or governance activities. Today, Ottogi is best understood as a diversified South Korean food company rather than a narrowly defined curry or noodle brand. Its business covers shelf-stable groceries, condiments, cooking oils, instant noodles, ready meals, rice products, frozen foods, canned foods, and other processed categories. Its historical development has been characterized by domestic category creation, portfolio expansion, affiliated food businesses, public-market participation, and selective international expansion.

1. 2024Integrated ESG grade improves to A

   Ottogi receives an integrated A grade in the Korea ESG Standards Institute evaluation cited by the source, improving from B+ in the prior year.

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2. 2022Revenue passes three trillion Korean won

   The referenced company history reports total revenue exceeding three trillion Korean won.

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3. 2017Revenue passes two trillion Korean won

   The referenced company history reports total revenue exceeding two trillion Korean won.

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4. 2007Vietnam branch established

   Ottogi establishes a branch in Vietnam.

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5. 2007Revenue passes one trillion Korean won

   The referenced company history reports total revenue exceeding one trillion Korean won.

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6. 2005United States branch established

   Ottogi establishes a branch in the United States as part of its international expansion.

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7. 1994Public listing and China expansion

   Ottogi is listed on the stock market in August and establishes a branch in China during the same year.

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8. 1972Mayonnaise product introduced

   Ottogi adds mayonnaise, further developing its household-condiment business.

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9. 1971Ketchup product introduced

   Ottogi enters the ketchup category with a domestically produced product.

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10. 1970Soup product introduced

    Ottogi expands its portfolio with soup products.

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11. 1969Ottogi is founded

    Ham Tae-ho establishes Ottogi in South Korea in May 1969.

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12. 1969Ottogi Curry launches

    The company introduces Ottogi Curry, described in the source as Korea’s first domestically made curry powder product.

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A broad, mass-market Korean food brand centered on everyday cooking, convenience, familiar flavors, and accessible packaged staples.

• Ottogi CurryCurry and powdered meal mixes1969

  Ottogi Curry was the company’s first product and is a foundational part of its identity. It is a powdered curry product intended to simplify the preparation of a curry-style meal at home. The line represents Ottogi’s early strategy of bringing convenient, domestically produced packaged foods to Korean consumers and remains one of the company’s best-known offerings.

• Ottogi Tomato KetchupCondiments1971

  Ottogi’s tomato ketchup is a household condiment introduced during the company’s early expansion. It broadened the brand from curry and powdered foods into table sauces and everyday meal accompaniments. The product belongs to the company’s wider sauce and condiment portfolio, which supports both home cooking and ready-to-serve food occasions.

• Ottogi MayonnaiseCondiments1972

  Ottogi Mayonnaise is part of the company’s early domestic condiment business and was introduced in 1972. It is used as a spread, dressing, or cooking ingredient and reflects Ottogi’s expansion into products that became routine components of household food preparation. The line complements the company’s ketchup, sauce, seasoning, and oil offerings.

• Jin RamenInstant noodles

  Jin Ramen is Ottogi’s principal instant-noodle brand and one of its most recognizable modern product lines. It gives the company a major position in convenient noodle meals, a category that can be prepared quickly and sold through everyday retail channels. The line forms part of Ottogi’s broader ramen and noodle business operated alongside affiliated companies.

• Ottogi 3 Minutes MealsReady meals

  Ottogi 3 Minutes Meals is a convenience-food range built around quick preparation. The products are designed for consumers who want a prepared meal or meal component with minimal cooking time, generally using packaged formats associated with shelf-stable or heat-and-serve foods. The range reinforces Ottogi’s positioning around practicality and everyday convenience.

• Ottogi Cooked RiceProcessed grain products

  Ottogi Cooked Rice extends the company’s convenience proposition into prepared grain products. It provides a ready-to-eat or heat-and-serve rice option for households seeking to reduce preparation time. The product sits within Ottogi’s wider processed-grain and ready-meal activities, alongside curry, sauces, noodles, and other packaged meal components.

• Ottogi Sesame OilEdible oils

  Ottogi Sesame Oil is an edible oil used as a seasoning and cooking ingredient in Korean food preparation. It represents the company’s participation in the oils and spice categories and is associated with the activities of Ottogi Sesame Mills. The product complements Ottogi’s sauces, seasonings, noodles, prepared meals, and other Korean-oriented pantry staples.

• Ottogi Frozen PizzaFrozen foods

  Ottogi Frozen Pizza is part of the company’s frozen-food portfolio. It adapts a widely consumed prepared-food format for home storage and convenient cooking, broadening Ottogi’s presence beyond shelf-stable staples. The product is associated with the company’s frozen-food activities and demonstrates the breadth of its ready-to-prepare offering.

• Ottogi Canned TunaCanned seafood

  Ottogi Canned Tuna is a shelf-stable seafood product included among the company’s principal offerings. It can be consumed directly or used as an ingredient in home cooking, making it consistent with Ottogi’s focus on versatile pantry foods. The line adds canned seafood to a portfolio otherwise spanning sauces, noodles, oils, grains, and prepared meals.

• 2024Improvement in assessed ESG performanceStrategy

  The Korea ESG Standards Institute evaluation provided an external assessment of Ottogi’s environmental, social, and governance performance.

  What changed. Ottogi achieved an integrated A grade, with environmental and governance scores reported as improving to A and the social score remaining at A+.

  Aftermath. The reported result represented an improvement from the previous year’s integrated B+ grade.

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• 1994Public listing and initial overseas expansionStrategy

  After developing a broad domestic food portfolio, Ottogi pursued access to public capital and began establishing an international operating presence.

  What changed. The company was listed on the stock market in August 1994 and established a branch in China during the same year.

  Aftermath. The listing and China operation were followed by further overseas expansion, including branches in the United States in 2005 and Vietnam in 2007.

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• 1969Launch of Ottogi CurryProduct launch

  The newly founded company needed an initial product capable of establishing a distinct packaged-food identity in the Korean market.

  What changed. Ottogi introduced a domestically produced powdered curry product.

  Aftermath. Curry became the foundation of Ottogi’s brand and was followed by expansion into soups, ketchup, mayonnaise, noodles, sauces, prepared meals, and other food categories.

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• 2024Ottogi receives an integrated A ESG evaluation

  Ottogi achieved an integrated A grade in the Korea ESG Standards Institute evaluation referenced in the source material, improving from B+ in the previous year. The environmental and governance categories rose to A, while the social category remained at A+.

  Other
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• 2022Ottogi’s reported revenue passes three trillion Korean won

  The referenced company history states that Ottogi’s total revenue exceeded three trillion Korean won in 2022, following earlier thresholds of one trillion won in 2007 and two trillion won in 2017.

  Other
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1. Ottogi
2. Ottogi official website