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Chimac’s fusion sauces bring Korean flavours to Europe

Irish sauce brand Chimac is tapping into Korea’s culinary traditions, bringing its flavours and products to European consumers who want a taste of K-food.

Leading Korean food trends are resonating with sauce shoppers, who want the Asian food hotspot’s flavour profiles and ingredients in their everyday dishes.

At a glance:

• Chimac has rolled out a range of Korean-inspired sauces for European consumers seeking bold, trendy flavours.
• The sauces blend Korean ingredients like gochujang and kimchi with Irish culinary flair, the company says.
• It is targeting millennials and gen Z consumers, aiming to make restaurant-quality flavours easy to reproduce at home.

“Korean food has firmly entered the mainstream in Ireland and the UK,” Sofie Rooney, co-founder of Korean-inspired sauce brand and restaurant Chimac, told Ingredients Network.

Rather than simply seeking heat, though, consumers are looking for bold, layered flavours that combine sweetness, spice, acidity and umami.

Gochujang, Korean BBQ, kimchi, and fermented flavours are all growing in popularity, while Korean fried chicken continues to be one of the biggest gateways into the cuisine.

Now, Chimac has developed a fusion-style interpretation of KFC at its restaurant in Dublin.

Inspiring taste palettes: From Korea to Ireland and beyond

Chimac started as a restaurant inspired by Korea's fried chicken culture. Chef Garret FitzGerald then developed the brand’s sauces and tested them with thousands of restaurant customers before launching them in retail.

The strongest demand for the brand’s K-food product portfolio comes from millennials and gen Z consumers, those aged around 20 to 40 years.

“They're digitally engaged, curious about global food trends, and looking for restaurant-quality flavour at home without spending hours cooking,” Rooney said.

Chimac’s Korean Hot Sauce and K-BBQ Sauce, for example, use the classic Korean ingredients gochujang and doenjang, designed to deliver punchy flavours.

Its Kimchi Ketchup introduces consumers to a fermented, umami-rich taste through a familiar everyday condiment.

As the brand and its range expand, Chimac aims to bring fun, fusion flair to Korean flavours and a little joy to midweek cooking at home, allowing consumers to have a restaurant-quality meal in minutes.

^{© Chimac}

Korean fried chicken reigns supreme

Research from the Korean government has found that Korean fried chicken is now the nation’s most popular dish globally.

The findings followed a survey by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) and the Korean Food Promotion Institute (KFPI) into overseas consumers' favourite Korean foods.

Results from 11,000 consumers across 22 countries found that the brand value of Korean cuisine is growing in the global market, and more than two-thirds (68.6%) of respondents were familiar with Korean food.

After Korean fried chicken, bibimbap and kimchi followed as leading K-food products captivating global consumer audiences.

Anticipating evolving K-food trends

Chimac’s founders believe Korean flavours will become part of everyday cooking rather than remaining a specialist cuisine.

“We believe Korean will quickly become part of that world cuisine repertoire,” Rooney said.

According to Mintel, in 2026, 92% of UK consumers will eat world cuisine at home. The market intelligence company found that brands can play an important role in inspiring consumers to use world flavours in new contexts.

Key to appealing to a broad range of consumers is a brand’s ability to make it easy to customise spiciness and to highlight tips for tailoring spice levels to individual consumer taste.

As consumers look for convenient ways to add exciting global flavours to familiar meals, the brand expects continued growth in sauces, marinades, meal kits, and ready-to-use products.

“Particularly in a cost-of-living crisis, when meals out or takeaways are often replaced with trips to local stores,” added Rooney.