What Harim does

Harim is the largest poultry processing company in South Korea, founded in 1978 and headquartered in Iksan. The company operates a vertically integrated value chain spanning breeding, hatching, feed production, fresh meat processing, processed meat manufacturing, and food service distribution, with manufacturing assets including processing and feed factories, a hatchery, and a livestock product center concentrated at its Iksan complex, plus a sales and marketing office in Panggyo (Seongnam). Its product portfolio centers on chicken across multiple price tiers: AIRLINE fresh chicken, Chicken Nugget (Korea's #1 nugget brand since 1992), Yonggari Chicken (dinosaur-shaped children's brand since 1999), Samgyetang ginseng chicken soup, and premium sub-brands including FreshUp (animal welfare certified, HACCP), Natural Record (antibiotic-free and animal welfare lines), and IFF (cells-alive quick-frozen at -35°C within 40 minutes). The company also operates a chilled sous-vide chicken breast line, a 100% human-grade pet food range, and Chicken Kalguksu Ramen.

Harim makes money through unit sales of fresh and processed chicken products across a diversified multi-channel distribution network including its own e-commerce platform Harim Mall, TV/mobile commerce via wholly-owned subsidiary NS Shopping, major supermarket chains (E-Mart, GS Fresh), convenience stores, online marketplaces (Coupang), B2B food service buyers, and, following the 2026 Homeplus Express acquisition, nationwide physical retail stores. Customer segments span general Korean consumers, health-conscious and high-protein diet consumers, pet owners, and food service/institutional buyers. Strategic capital allocation has shifted toward retail consolidation (Homeplus Express), geographic expansion (Vietnam export approval in April 2026), and R&D diversification (BioPoa vaccine MOU), supported by Harim Holdings' reported cash position of 1.46 trillion KRW. The stated corporate vision is to become a top-10 global poultry food company by 2030.

Name

Harim

Legal name

주식회사 하림 (HARIM Corporation)

Website

https://harim.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Harim is South Korea's largest vertically integrated poultry processor, producing fresh and processed chicken under heritage brands like Chicken Nugget and Yonggari for retail, food service, and new export markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Poultry Processing

NAICS

Poultry Processing (311615), Poultry and Poultry Product Merchant Wholesalers (424440)

SIC

Poultry Slaughtering And Processing (2015), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Broiler Processing (Whole Bird, Parts, Further Processing) (AFANACAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Poultry Processing & Packing (AFAKALAC), Further Processed Poultry (Cooked, Breaded, Nuggets, Patties, Wings) (AFANACAC), Meat, Poultry & Seafood Wholesale (AFAIABAF)

Keywords

• Poultry processing
• Fresh chicken products
• Processed meat products
• Animal welfare chicken
• Premium chicken brands

Headquarters

HQ city

Iksan

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Fresh Poultry Products: Fresh chicken meat sales including whole chickens, chicken breast, wings, and other fresh cuts. Products include premium lines like animal welfare certified Fresh Up brand and antibiotic-free Natural Record brand.
2. Processed Meat Products: Value-added processed chicken products including dumplings (yonggari), chicken nuggets, steamed chicken gizzard, roasted chicken, and various ready-to-cook items sold under brands including Yonggari Chicken and Chicken Nugget.
3. Pet Food: Premium pet food products including '100% human grade' product line launched to tap into growing pet humanization trend and premium pet food market.
4. Retail/Offline Distribution: Following the Homeplus Express acquisition through NS Shopping, Harim is expanding into nationwide offline retail and logistics operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Harim is Korea's largest poultry processing company that produces and sells fresh chicken, processed chicken products (nuggets, fried chicken, Samgyetang), and adjacent food items including pet food and ramen. The company operates a vertically integrated value chain spanning breeding, hatching, feed production, processing, and distribution, with branded lines such as AIRLINE (fresh chicken), Yonggari Chicken, Chicken Nugget, Samgyetang, FreshUp (animal welfare), and Nature Record (antibiotic-free). Products are sold through Harim Mall, major supermarkets (E-Mart, GS Fresh), convenience stores, online marketplaces, and food service channels.

Product overview

Harim is Korea's largest poultry processing company operating across the entire value chain from chicken breeding and farming (사육사업) to fresh meat sales (신선육사업), processed meat products (육가공사업), and food service (식자재&FS사업). The company offers a comprehensive portfolio centered on chicken products including fresh chicken under the AIRLINE brand, processed chicken nuggets and fried chicken under Yonggari (용가리치킨) and Chicken Nugget brands, premium Samgyetang (삼계탕) ginseng chicken soup, and specialty lines including FreshUp, Nature Record antibiotic-free, and Nature Record animal welfare brands. The IFF (Individual Quick Frozen) sub-brand provides premium frozen products using rapid freezing technology. The company also operates Harim Mall as its e-commerce channel and has recently expanded into new categories including ramen (Chicken Kalguksu Ramen), pet food, and is developing poultry vaccines through a BioPoa partnership. Harim aims to become one of the world's top 10 poultry food companies by 2030.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 프레쉬업 (Freshup): Korea's first animal welfare brand applying animal welfare systems from production to distribution with HACCP certification
• 자연실록 무항생제
• 자연실록 동물복지
• IFF
• 삼계탕 (Samgyetang)
• 용가리치킨
• 치킨너겟
• 닭가슴살
• 하림몰 (Harim Mall)

Products and services

• Fresh Chicken (AIRLINE line) Premium fresh Korean chicken sold in retail packaging for home cooking. Targets general Korean consumers seeking high-quality fresh chicken.
• Processed Chicken Products Frozen and ready-to-cook processed chicken items including nuggets, marinated stir-fry dishes, and seasoned one-pan meals. Targeted at general consumers and food service buyers.
• Yonggari Chicken Dinosaur-shaped processed chicken nugget brand targeted at children and families, leveraging fun shapes and trustworthy domestic chicken.
• Samgyetang (Ginseng Chicken Soup) Ready-to-eat ginseng chicken soup packaged for convenient preparation at home. Targets general consumers and gift-giving use cases (선물세트).
• Chicken Breast (닭가슴살) Chilled and seasoned chicken breast line marketed as high-protein, low-calorie for health-conscious consumers and dieters.
• Chilled Sous Vide Chicken Breast Premium chilled chicken breast cooked with French sous-vide method, vacuum-sealed for juiciness and tenderness. Targets health-conscious consumers and dieters.
• Cham Chicken Breast Ham High-protein, low-fat ham alternative made from domestic chicken breast. Targets consumers seeking diet-friendly protein options.
• Chicken Kalguksu Ramen Instant ramen made with domestic chicken broth and chicken-infused noodles. Targets general Korean consumers.
• Jjilran Bong Yangnyeom Gui (Cumin Chicken Seasoning Roast) Ready-to-cook seasoned chicken drumettes with sweet-salty cumin flavor profile, designed for air fryer preparation.
• Harim Pet Food Premium pet food line made with 100% human-grade ingredients for dogs and cats, capitalizing on the pet humanization trend in Korea.
• Harim Mall (Online Store) Harim's official e-commerce platform enabling direct-to-consumer sales of fresh chicken, processed products, and gift sets to individual consumers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Premium positioning with 100% human grade pet food targeting $11 billion Vietnam meat market growing at 9.6% annually

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered strategic, core and minor.

• Vietnamese GovernmentstrategicOthers · 23 April 2026Following bilateral summit between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Vietnamese President To Lam, Vietnam approved imports of heat-treated poultry products from Korea. Harim and CJ CheilJedang were approved as initial exporters to the Vietnamese market valued at $11 billion with 9.6% annual growth rate.
• BioPoastrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 April 2026Harim and BioPoa signed an MOU to jointly develop poultry disease vaccines including avian influenza, with plans for clinical evaluation and commercialization by 2026. The collaboration aims to enhance field-based vaccine development using farm data and establish a rapid response system for livestock diseases.
• NS Home ShoppingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Harim Group affiliate NS Home Shopping selected as preferred bidder to acquire Homeplus Express supermarket chain from cash-strapped retailer Homeplus for approximately 300 billion won ($203 million). The acquisition expands Harim from TV home shopping into nationwide offline retail.
• OTCAN (Clothing Sharing)minorOthersHarim partners with OTCAN, a clothing sharing non-profit organization, for annual clothing recycling campaigns as part of their environmental and social responsibility activities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CJ CheilJedang: Major Korean food conglomerate that, like Harim, was one of only two Korean meat producers approved to export to Vietnam in 2026. Both compete in processed Korean foods (frozen dumplings, processed chicken) and have vertically integrated food operations.
• Charoen Pokphand Foods: Thailand-based, Asia-focused vertically integrated poultry and food conglomerate. Highly comparable to Harim's integrated model and Asian-market focus, with strong presence in Vietnam where Harim is now entering via exports.
• Dongwon F&B: Korean food company with a meaningful processed chicken and prepared foods business, including branded meat products. Direct competitor to Harim in the Korean retail and food-service channel.

Broad incumbents

• Tyson Foods: Largest U.S. poultry processor and a global poultry incumbent with vertically integrated operations from breeding to value-added processed products. Directly comparable to Harim in business model and category leadership, though at much greater scale and with U.S. focus.
• Pilgrim's Pride: One of the largest poultry producers in the world with operations spanning the U.S., Mexico, and Europe. Comparable to Harim as a vertically integrated broiler processor with a mix of fresh and prepared/value-added chicken products.
• JBS: Global meat and poultry giant operating in poultry (Seara), beef, and pork. JBS's poultry division follows a vertically integrated fresh and prepared chicken model closely comparable to Harim's Korea-based operations.
• Perdue Farms: U.S. poultry incumbent notable for premium positioning (antibiotic-free, organic) and brand-led marketing. Closely comparable to Harim's premium sub-brands like FreshUp and Natural Record, though Perdue is U.S.-focused.
• Maple Leaf Foods: Canadian vertically integrated protein company with poultry, pork, and prepared foods. Comparable to Harim in vertical integration, premium prepared foods, and animal-welfare-led positioning.
• Sanderson Farms (now part of Wayne-Sanderson Farms): U.S. broiler processor (now merged with Wayne Farms) that operates a vertically integrated fresh-chicken model closely paralleling Harim's fresh-chicken and value-added processing structure, albeit at substantially larger U.S. scale.

Regional players

• Pulmuone: Korean food manufacturer strong in healthy, plant-based, and prepared foods. Comparable to Harim in Korean retail distribution, premium health-positioned food brands, and exposure to health-conscious consumer segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/harimslim
• Instagraminstagram.com/harim_official
• Xx.com/harim_slim
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/harim0

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Harim