Sauces, which used to play a secondary role in enhancing the flavor of food, have become essential ingredients that give dishes a distinctive character. In Korea, everyone who loves to cook has their own signature sauces. Even famous restaurants owe much of their distinctive flavors to their house-made sauces. The same ingredients can taste completely different depending on the type and application of the sauce. Remarkably, the creation and use of personalized sauces tailored to the diverse tastes of people has become commonplace even for home cooks and casual food enthusiasts-not just for professional chefs or fine dining establishments.

The Korean restaurant GYUBAN is an excellent illustration of this trend. The restaurant is led by Kim Ji-young, a former culinary director of the iconic Korean drama Dae Jang Geum. They offer a seven-course dinner with appetizers and desserts, as well as four main dishes. Two of the dishes feature GYUBAN’s signature sauces, which contribute to their distinctive flavors. The beef bulgogi and grilled deodeok (a Korean root vegetable) are marinated in a special soy sauce that enhances the distinctive umami of premium Korean beef. And the cod is grilled with a red chili paste-based “Gangjeong Sauce” (sweet rice puff sauce) that neutralizes the fishy odor while delivering a deep, clean flavor. GYUBAN’s signature sauces are the perfect balance of depth and clarity that sets the restaurant’s dishes apart.

Choi Eun-san gets up at 6 a.m. to make her own breakfast. The girl, who will be a fifth-grader next spring, has been doing this since she was in second grade. With guidance from her mother, a graduate of a renowned French culinary school, Eun-san has developed her own sauces to suit his tastes. Initially, she spent a few months spreading strawberry and blueberry jam on toast, but now she creates her own peanut mayo sauce, which she uses as a dip for toast or Mont Blanc pastries. The sauce is sweet, nutty, and slightly salty, made by combining peanut butter and mayonnaise in a 1:1 ratio with a pinch of salt and a drizzle of honey. For her favorite chicken drumsticks and grilled beef, Eun-san prefers a spicy and creamy Sriracha mayo sauce, made by mixing Sriracha sauce and mayonnaise in a 1:0.75 ratio.

This growing trend of creating personalized flavors with sauce combinations, as seen with Eun-san, highlights the expansion of the global sauce market. Health-conscious Millennial and Gen Z consumers are increasingly inclined to make their own sauces with pre-made products such as traditional Korean gochujang (red chili paste) and ganjang (soy sauce).

In particular, the global popularity of spicy Korean dishes such as tteokbokki (stir-fried rice cakes) and ramen has fueled interest in bold and fiery K-Sauce flavors. As the world increasingly appreciates the distinctive flavors and aromas of Korean cuisine, international demand for K-Sauce products created by Korean companies continues to grow.

Established in 1978, Woomtree Co., Ltd. holds the largest domestic market share in fresh wasabi. Leveraging its expertise in producing traditional sauces such as soy sauce and red chili paste, the company now produces more than 80 Korean sauces, including Meat n E Sauce, Meat n Roasting Sauce, Spicy Chicken Feet Seasoning, and Matjjang Tteokbokki Sauce. In particular, Woomtree has successfully localized its sauces for international markets, such as Soy Sauce for Marinated Crab in Thailand and Capsaicin Sauce in Indonesia. Other popular products, such as Samyang Foods’ Buldak Sauce and Kyochon Chicken’s K1 Hot Sauce, made with Korean-grown Cheongyang peppers, are also rooted in traditional Korean condiments. Last year, the domestic K-Sauce market was estimated at approximately KRW 3 trillion, with exports reaching USD 384 million to 139 countries.