A huge food factory is being built on the southern edge of the Pest agglomeration

South Korea's largest food company is to build its first Central European factory in Hungary, creating 200 new jobs in Dunavarsány, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó announced in Budapest on 21 November.

The South Korean food company CJ Foods is building a new greenfield food production plant and warehouse centre in Dunavarsány, South Korea. The development, worth around HUF 31 billion, will be supported by the state to the tune of HUF 5.3 billion, contributing to the creation of 200 new jobs in the first phase.

The 14,000 square metre food processing plant will start producing bibigo branded Mandu (Korean stuffed noodle cushion) and fried chicken products in the second half of 2026, allowing CJ Foods to further expand its fast-growing European markets.

From Dunavarsány to France

The new plant in Hungary is planned to become the largest production unit of CJ Foods in Europe. The management expects Hungary to develop into a regional logistics and sales hub for the Central and Eastern European and Balkan markets. Over 90 percent of the products manufactured in Dunavarsány will be sold in Western European markets, including the UK, Germany, France and the Netherlands. CJ Foods has already established a market presence in these countries, and bibigo is the market leader in the B2C market for dumpling products in Germany and the Netherlands.

The company is the largest food company in South Korea, with 60 factories worldwide, so competition for the investment was fierce.

CJ CheilJedang is a South Korea-based global food and biotechnology company, and the owner of CJ Foods established a Hungarian subsidiary in February 2024 under the name CJ Foods Hungary Kft.. With the establishment of this manufacturing unit, CJ Foods will further expand its customer and consumer base in Europe. As South Korea's largest food company, the company had a turnover of around €7.5 billion in 2023 (operating profit of €434 million, according to its website) and operates 60 sites worldwide.