Dongwon F&B, the South Korean distributor of the US plant-based meat alternative Beyond Meat, said Thursday that it has launched the product at E-mart, the country’s largest supermarket chain by revenue.

The company signed an exclusive contract in 2018 to import Beyond Meat from the US to Korea. After launching the flagship Beyond Burger in March 2019, it sold about 82,000 patties here last year, Dongwon F&B said.

The company said it is offering Beyond Burger at the 21 E-mart stores that operate “Vegan Zones,” special sections to display vegan products, this month. It will expand the product lineup next month by rolling out Beyond Beef and Beyond Sausage.

E-mart began operating Vegan Zones on Thursday. The name is directly translated from Korean.

“Among the millennial generation, who strive to pursue ‘good consumption,’ a change of perception has occurred in accepting veganism as just one of many food preferences,” an official from Dongwon F&B said.

“Dongwon F&B will continue to keep eye on the plant-based meat alternative market to introduce products that meet the demands of consumers who promote value consumption.”

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)