[잡썰③]The modern version of Simcheong… A man who only buys rice all year

There is a man who goes to buy rice all year round, just as Shim Cheong collects offerings. The annual purchase of rice is 60,000 tons. Last year, Korea’s rice production was 3.5 million tons, so 1.7% of the total rice goes into this man’s hand. The main character is Jung Joon-ki (38), manager of CJ CheilJedang’s food purchase.

Manager Jung is called’the father of a self-made student in Korea’. CJ CheilJedang’s instant rice’Hetbahn’ is made from the rice he bought. Hetbahn sold nearly 500 million units (210g basis) last year. It means that each person ate 10. On the 26th, he introduced himself, saying, “My job is to buy good quality rice at a good price.” This is the only 10 years he has been in charge of purchasing rice for Hetbahn. Manager Jung was “a place where I have been eating Hetbahn often while I was in college.”

I go on business trips 100 times a year, and the busiest days are from September to October every year. This is because, due to the nature of rice harvested once a year, the quality and price are determined during the harvest season. For this time, I constantly travel around the province and get the necessary information. This is the basic work for purchase negotiations and contracts. He deals with companies that have rice processing plants (RPCs). The presidential election of the nonghyup union is also meticulously organized. This is because, depending on who is elected the union leader, the price of rice also affects.

I also made diligent efforts to build professionalism. In 2017, he got a certificate as a rice sommelier in Japan. It is a certificate that is not available in Korea. He said, “I study and answer the entire process from rice seed to cultivation, harvesting, milling, and rice cooking until rice is finished.” I have become proficient.”

Although he is a rice sommelier, he said he is not confident in making rice that is more delicious than Hetbahn. “This is because the taste of the rice changes differently depending on what kind of rice cooker you choose, wash it well, and use what kind of rice cooker, what kind of tool, and what kind of water you make.” It is reasonable” insisted.

I also got a habit. Before eating, look carefully at the grain of rice. It looks like whether it is good rice or bad rice, and whether there is rice snow or not. I don’t eat old rice well. This is because the principle is to make Hetbahn with rice that has been milled on the same day. CJ CheilJedang mills 200 tons of rice a day at its own facility in Busan. The process is carried out without rest 365 days.

There was also a crisis. He said the fall of 2018 was the hardest. “It was difficult to find good quality rice even with money like’barley pass’ for three months from August 2018,” said Jung. Two months left until the rice harvest, but as hetbahn sold well, the rice that had to be used by October was already exhausted in August. Because of the lack of raw materials, the plant is on the verge of stopping.

“In that year alone, about 4000 tons of rice was insufficient.” Because of the long-standing loyalty, about 10 business partners collected rice and secured the rice they needed. He said, “Some suppliers supplied rice at a lower price than the market price,” he said. “I can’t forget the gratitude at the time.”

It is said that it feels rewarding for the fact that the recent decline in rice consumption, which has been continuously decreasing, has slowed down. This is due to the increased consumption of HMR products such as Hetbahn. “I feel proud of being able to change the eating habits of consumers in a positive way, which the government hasn’t been able to catch for years,” said Jung.

My dream is to become a global purchasing expert for grain products. “I want to grow into a purchasing expert for various grains such as soybeans, corn and wheat, as well as rice,” said Jung.

Reporter Lee Soo-ki [email protected]