Pulmuone expands vegan business with the launch of second restaurant in S. Korea

Pulmuone, a Seoul-headquartered company that makes plant-based foods, is expanding its vegan business in the country by opening another vegan restaurant that it has named “Plantude.”

According to Aju Business Daily, Pulmuone is taking advantage of the steadily increasing vegan population in South Korea thus, its cafeteria service management unit, which is the, Pulmuone Food & Culture, is beefing up the company’s vegan plant-based business through the launch.

At Plantude, diners will be able to enjoy different selections of plant-based menu items, including tofu-based dishes and vegan salads that have cherry tomatoes and zesty black olives. It was noted that the number of people who are turning vegan is growing in the country due to the increased awareness of health and well-being.

Based on the data collected by the Korea Vegan Union, more and more people are becoming health-conscious and choosing to change their lifestyle and eating habits to become healthier. As a result, vegans in South Korea grew to around two million in 2021, and this was a huge increase compared to 2008, when the number was only 150,000, as per the KVU.

Moreover, the organization said that as of May 2021, the number of vegan restaurants could be anywhere from 350 to 400. This data alone shows the growing demand for plant-based food as the vegan population also soars.

In a statement that was released the past weekend, Pulmuone said its second Plantude restaurant is set to open in Yongsan and will have 69 seats. The first branch was launched in May 2022, and it has been offering 13 vegan food items, such as the favorite plant-based Bulgogi Deopbap rice bowl.

In the newest Plantude, there will be 14 menu selections which will include the Korean snack staple, Tteokbokki in cream sauce. The exact opening date of the restaurant was not specified by Pulmuone.

"While the first store was a place to verify the potential of the vegan market, the second one would be used as space to demonstrate whether the market could be expanded," Lee Woo Bong, Pulmuone Food & Culture’s chief executive officer, said in a statement.