Chapter 18
“CEO Jeong, we cannot discontinue WG Instant Rice.”
The employees turned toward Choi Inwoo in surprise.
“What?”
They were not the only ones shocked.
The person with the widest eyes was CEO Jeong Seonghan himself.
Perhaps he had been waiting for someone to say exactly those words.
Choi Inwoo immediately stood.
“I don't think we can discontinue WG Instant Rice like this.”
Even if someone supported the CEO's personal opinion...
Jeong Seonghan was still the person responsible for running WG Food.
He had to generate profit.
He could not blindly support Choi Inwoo just because they agreed.
There needed to be a proper reason.
Clear evidence.
“Why do you think that?”
The smile disappeared from CEO Jeong's face.
Choi Inwoo answered with complete confidence.
“The first thing I did while thinking about how to increase WG Instant Rice sales was study our competitors.”
CEO Jeong nodded.
“So you believe you understand the other companies' products?”
“Yes. I think I understand them well enough.”
The large meeting room was filled with WG Food employees, including the sales staff.
But at the center of the room...
There were only two people.
CEO Jeong Seonghan.
And Choi Inwoo.
Lee Sejun listened with an uninterested expression.
When he heard Choi Inwoo's confident tone, one corner of his mouth curled upward.
CEO Jeong raised an eyebrow.
“What did you find?”
“I tried to understand why the companies controlling the instant rice market sell so well... and why our product does not.”
Choi Inwoo plugged a USB drive into the laptop connected to the screen.
The display changed.
“These are the three companies currently leading Korea's instant rice market. OI Food, Uttuk Food, and Rohan Food.”
The employees gradually began paying attention.
They had probably expected Choi Inwoo to simply support CEO Jeong without evidence.
But he had prepared data.
Choi Inwoo pointed toward the screen.
“If you compare their prices to WG Instant Rice, there is a very clear difference.”
Manager Jang Woojin answered bluntly.
“Products from major corporations are obviously cheaper than products from a smaller company. That's exactly why they sell well.”
Choi Inwoo nodded.
“That's right. As this data shows, I concluded that WG Food cannot win through price competition.”
The employees murmured.
Everyone already knew that.
The expectation in their eyes weakened.
There was a reason they had failed to save WG Instant Rice despite trying for so long.
Choi Inwoo studied their expressions and moved to the next slide.
“There was only one major difference between our product and the instant rice from those three corporations.”
“A difference?”
“Yes.”
He looked directly at the screen.
“Country of origin.”
“What about the country of origin?”
Again, it was Manager Jang Woojin.
He frowned.
Before Choi Inwoo could answer, Lee Sejun raised his hand.
“Don't tell me you're suggesting that we compete just because the rice comes from different regions?”
His lips twisted mockingly.
He clearly wanted to reinforce Manager Jang's argument.
CEO Jeong raised his hand.
“Let's hear Assistant Manager Choi first.”
“...Yes.”
The room quieted again.
Choi Inwoo moved to the next slide.
“As everyone knows, WG Instant Rice is made using 100% domestic Korean rice.”
“That's right.”
“But the same is not true for OI Food, Uttuk Food, and Rohan Food.”
The employees immediately began murmuring.
None of them knew this.
“You mean they don't use domestic rice?”
“Huh? I don't remember anything else written on OI Food's package.”
“I thought they used Korean rice too.”
Questions came from all directions.
Choi Inwoo waited until the room settled.
Then he cleared his throat.
“Even people working in the same food industry, including us, generally believe those products use only domestic ingredients. I believed the same thing.”
He continued.
“Most of the rice itself is domestic. However, some of the ingredients used in certain products are sourced from Japan.”
“Really?”
“They use Japanese ingredients?”
Several employees immediately pulled out their phones to search.
Im Sanghyeon cautiously raised his hand.
“Um... There's nothing about Japanese ingredients printed on the OI Food or Uttuk Food packages.”
Choi Inwoo pointed toward the screen.
“That's correct. But according to the detailed product information on each company's official website, the situation is different.”
Everyone looked up again.
“In the case of OI Food and Uttuk Food, some of the components used in the products are sourced from Japan.”
CEO Jeong nodded slowly.
“What about Rohan Food?”
“Rohan Food does not use Japanese ingredients.”
He paused.
“However, its food container is manufactured in China.”
A wave of surprise moved through the room.
CEO Jeong rubbed his chin.
“So you're saying this one difference gives us competitiveness?”
“Yes.”
Choi Inwoo nodded.
