SPC Group announced Wednesday that it had completed the construction of a bakery plant in Johor, Malaysia, as part of its strategy to enter the $2.5 trillion halal food market.
During the inauguration ceremony on Tuesday, SPC Group Chairman Hur Young-in stated, “With our Johor plant as a strategic base, we aim to bring healthy and joyful flavors to 2 billion Muslim consumers across Southeast Asia and the Middle East.”
The event was attended by Johor Chief Minister Onn Hafiz Bin Ghazi, South Korean Ambassador to Malaysia Yeo Seung-bae, and SPC executives, including President Hur Jin-soo, Paris Baguette Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and Africa division Head Hana Lee and SPC Samlip CEO Kim Bum-soo.
The Paris Baguette Johor production center will serve as a hub for supplying halal-certified bakery products to Southeast Asia and the Middle East. The bakery currently operates in six Southeast Asian countries and has signed franchise deals with Thailand, Brunei and Laos, and plans to further expand to Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
SPC Group doubled its initial investment to approximately $56 million to integrate advanced automation and safety systems, ensuring high-quality production. The 12,900 square-meter facility houses seven production lines, capable of producing up to 300,000 bakery products per day, reaching 100 million annually.
Samlip, a subsidiary of the SPC Group, also plans to produce halal-certified products at the new plant. The company will establish an ASEAN subsidiary this March, using the Johor plant as a hub for distributing Korean-manufactured products across the region. Samlip will also supply frozen dough to cafes, hotels, and retailers while developing B2C products tailored to local markets.
"Paris Baguette’s decision to establish its first halal-certified food hub here is a significant development for Johor and Malaysia as a whole,” Johor Chief Minister Onn Hafiz Bin Ghazi stated. “This facility will provide numerous employment opportunities, contribute to the local economy, and enhance Malaysia’s reputation as a global leader in Halal food production."
SPC Group is actively expanding its global business by establishing production hubs in key regions, such as the Tianjin plant in China and the upcoming Texas plant in the US. The company aims to operate 12,000 stores worldwide by 2030, spurring to achieve its vision to become a "Great Food Company.”
hyelimchung@heraldcorp.com
