Dayou Winia, a South Korean consumer electronics company best known for its kimchi refrigerator brand Dimchae, is planning to launch its new rice cooker, the Dimchae Cook, in China this year.

As the premium rice cooker officially began sales at Lotte Hi-Mart stores nationwide on Thursday, a Dayou Winia executive revealed plans to “introduce Dimchae Cook in Chinese markets within the first half of this year.”

“We plan to export Dimchae Cook after successfully setting up domestic sales operations at various consumer electronics retailers in Korea,” the firm’s business operations director Choi Jun-yong said during the product’s Hi-Mart launch ceremony in Seoul on Thursday.

“The China-bound rice cookers will be slightly modified and upgraded in regards to its functions to better adhere to Chinese preferences and needs,” the executive said.

The Korean consumer electronics said it has already established partnerships with three Chinese companies to manage the exports of Dimchae Cook to China.

The Dimchae Cook, unveiled in Korea last month, is a premium, multifunctional pressurized rice cooker equipped with Dayou Winia’s exclusive rice preparation and heating systems to deliver the best-tasting cooked rice.

Available in three colors, the product connects to a mobile app which enables multiple users to control the rice cooker and check its status via Wi-Fi. The app is available on smartphones running on Android and iOS operating systems.
 

In Korean as well as Chinese markets, Dayou Winia’s Dimchae Cook is geared to compete against segment leaders Cuckoo Electronics and Cuchen, which together make up some 80 to 90 percent of the Korean rice cooker market right now.

“As a latecomer in the (rice cooker) segment, we plan to focus on original marketing strategies to expand our market share, with plans to take up some 10 percent of the domestic market this year,” said Choi.

To meet its stated goal, Dayou Winia has set its sights on selling at least 5,000 Dimchae Cook units per month, the firm said.

In addition to the Dimchae Cook, Dayou Winia also sells a number of other consumer electronics through its subbrands as part of its continued efforts to diversify its product portfolio.

The firm’s iconic, best-selling Dimchae kimchi refrigerators currently make up some 70 percent of the company’s total sales, which the company is looking to reduce to 60 percent this year and 50 percent next year, according to Choi.

By Sohn Ji-young (jys@heraldcorp.com)