[K-COMPANY 1] CJ CheilJedang... A Great Journey for the Victory of K-Food and K-Sports

On February 6, 2026, the eyes of the world will be focused on Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. The 25th Winter Olympics (Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics) is a grand stage that goes beyond a mere sports festival, where the fighting spirit of the South Korean national team 'Team Korea' intersects with the global strategies of Korean companies supporting them.

CJ Group has served as an official partner of the Korean Sports Council (KSOC) and has been a strong supporter of Korean sports for many years. In particular, this 2026 project has an ambitious goal of proving the true value of K-Food in Italy, the home of gourmet cuisine, based on the successful operation of the 'Korea House' at the Paris Olympics.

Bibigo Day... Nutrition Designing Victory

Exactly 30 days before the Olympic opening, CJ CheilJedang prepared a special event for the national team athletes who are dedicated to training. Named 'Bibigo Day', this event is part of the 'Nutritional Cheering' campaign that aims to energize athletes exhausted from high-intensity training and help them maintain optimal condition. The event was held in a relay format at the Taereung National Training Center and the Jincheon National Training Center, the two major pillars of Korean elite sports.

These on-site visits create an emotional bond that goes beyond simply providing meals, as the company delivers messages of support to the training grounds where the athletes' sweat is soaked in. Speed skater Kim Min-sun stated, "Thanks to the special meals carefully prepared by the company ahead of an important competition, I was able to forget the fatigue of intense training and enjoy a good time with my teammates," emphasizing the psychological stability that such support provides.

The menu for 'Bibigo Day' utilizes CJ CheilJedang's representative brand 'Bibigo' products, but is meticulously designed considering the energy metabolism and muscle recovery mechanisms of elite athletes. It faithfully follows the basic principles of sports nutrition, including Carbohydrate Loading and Protein Replenishment.

In particular, the cooking method of steamed dumplings reduces fat content compared to frying while maintaining moisture, making it the optimal solution for athletes to consume energy without burden immediately after training. Additionally, glycine and proline, amino acids found in bone broth, help strengthen connective tissues, positively impacting injury prevention for athletes in high-load sports like skating.

Danbaekhani... A Wellness Solution Connecting the 2030 Generation and National Representatives

Danbaekhani Protein Bar: This product provides a high protein content of 22g per bar while keeping sugars below 2g (using allulose). It features ancient grain 'Farro' for a crispy texture, providing culinary enjoyment to athletes tired of tasteless protein supplements.  

Danbaekhani Protein Shake: Available in various flavors such as signature, chocolate, and matcha, it allows for easy consumption before and after workouts.

CJ aims to solidify the premium image of the 'Danbaekhani' brand in the rapidly growing wellness and dumbbell economy market by obtaining a 'mark of trust' that the national team athletes actually consume these products. This demonstrates a virtuous cycle where elite sports sponsorship naturally connects to mass market marketing.

Milan Project... Local Support in Italy

The Korean Sports Council and CJ will establish a Korea House at the historic site 'Villa Necchi Campiglio' in downtown Milan. This mansion museum, owned by the Italian Heritage Foundation (FAI), is an architectural masterpiece showcasing the lifestyle of Milan's upper class in the 1930s. Unlike the emphasis on public accessibility during the Paris Olympics, the strategy in Milan focuses on 'premium' and 'heritage'. It will operate as a complex cultural space encompassing not only K-Food but also K-Movies, K-Pop, and other aspects of Korean culture through the CJ Group Pavilion and Bibigo Zone. This will serve to imprint Korea as a 'sophisticated and attractive cultural powerhouse' in the minds of visitors.

Local Meal Support Center... The Power of 'Home Cooking'

To ensure athletes perform at their best, it is essential to prevent condition issues caused by failure to adapt to local food. To this end, CJ has established a dedicated meal support center by renting kitchens at the local 'Notess Eventi' restaurant and 'Hotel Techa'. Collaborating with the Korean Sports Council's meal support center, they will procure or source about 30 essential ingredients such as kimchi, tteokbokki, various seasonings (gochujang, doenjang, etc.), and instant foods from Korea or locally. They will manufacture Korean lunch boxes outside the athlete village for delivery or allow athletes to visit directly for meals. This is expected to provide the highest level of meal support to date, combining the know-how of the Korean Sports Council since the 2008 Beijing Olympics with CJ's product capabilities and logistics network.

CJ CheilJedang... Beyond the Olympics to European Tables

For CJ CheilJedang, the 2026 Milan Olympics is not just a sponsorship event. It is the pinnacle of a massive marketing campaign aimed at penetrating the European food market. CJ CheilJedang's European sales have grown by 45% year-on-year as of the first quarter of 2024, showing a steep upward trend. In particular, there is a strong interest among Europeans in 'K-Street Food' such as dumplings and tteokbokki. To meet this demand, CJ is investing about 100 billion won to build a large-scale production facility in Dunavarsány, near Budapest, Hungary, covering an area equivalent to 16 soccer fields (115,000㎡). This factory, scheduled to be operational in the second half of 2026, will primarily produce 'Bibigo Dumplings' and will eventually expand to include a chicken line. This will serve as a key forward base for expanding K-Food territory beyond Germany and the UK to Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans. CJ is also constructing an Asian food production facility worth 700 billion won in South Dakota, USA, aiming to replicate its success formula (with a 42% market share in the dumpling market) in Europe and leap forward as a 'global No.1 food company'.

Dream Guardian

The news of 'Bibigo Day' conveyed by CJ CheilJedang is more than just an event notification. It symbolizes the sweat of athletes racing towards the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, the meticulous strategies of the companies supporting them, and the vision of K-Food reaching out to the world. 'Bibigo Day' is a scientific nutritional support and a strong emotional backbone. The Olympics is the best marketing platform to dramatically increase brand awareness in the European market. It is an opportunity to elevate the national prestige of South Korea by combining the strongest soft powers of sports and food.

Magazine Kave will continue to cover and report on the inspiring drama that CJ CheilJedang and Team Korea will write in Milan. As the competition slogan says, 'IT's Your Vibe', we hope that Italy in 2026 will be colored by Korea's 'Taste' and 'Vibe'.