Buchang Bakery, known for its "Lee Jang-woo walnut cake," is expanding into Daejeon, famous for the bakery "Seongshimdang," following its locations in Seoul, Daegu, Suwon, and Busan.
According to related industries, Buchang Bakery will open its fifth store at Shinsegae Department Store in Daejeon on the 16th. Actor Lee Jang-woo is also expected to visit the store to celebrate the opening. The store will introduce new menu items such as sweet corn walnut cake.
Buchang Bakery is a walnut cake brand created in collaboration with FG, a food content company that jointly planned with Lee Jang-woo and the KBS entertainment program "Popup Landing Operation." Since opening in October last year, Buchang Bakery has gained popularity, selling a cumulative total of 100 million units in just six months.
Lee Kyung-won, representative of FG, noted, "After about a year of research and development with Lee Jang-woo, we are finally able to introduce a new brand," adding, "Currently, we are negotiating to enter major distribution channels nationwide, including local major distributors in Japan, Hong Kong, and the United States."
Buchang Bakery originally started as a bakery selling walnut cakes and traditional bread in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, 60 years ago. Although it closed in the 1990s, the brand was revived 30 years later by Lee Kyung-won, the grandson of the founder, and Lee Jang-woo.
Lee Jang-woo actively participated not only as a model for Buchang Bakery but also in the business development and planning process. He is known to have contributed ideas throughout the entire process, from the initial stages of dough and filling production.
Buchang Bakery is also planning to expand overseas. Recently, Japan's Nikkei newspaper featured Buchang Bakery in an article introducing hot desserts from Korea.
In the second half of the year, the company plans to open stores in major department stores in Japan and collaborate with renowned Japanese lifestyle corporations. In the medium to long term, expansion into overseas markets, including the United States and Vietnam, is also in the pipeline. Domestically, the company plans to expand to around 10 locations by the first half of next year and is considering establishing a baking school in Gyeongju to create local jobs.
The "original" of the queue bakery is Seongshimdang in Daejeon. Founded in 1956 as a small steamed bun shop in front of Daejeon Station, Seongshimdang has become a popular bakery known even to foreigners. Comments on the U.S. online community Reddit say, "Seongshimdang is Daejeon, and Daejeon is Seongshimdang."
Last year's sales of Rosso, which operates Seongshimdang, were 193.7 billion won, with an operating profit of 47.8 billion won. Both figures increased by 56% and 52%, respectively, compared to the previous year. This exceeds the recruitment profit of 29.8 billion won from CJ Foodville, which operates various food service businesses, including the franchise bakery Tous Les Jours.