Olive Oil Grows 30% Every Year
사진 확대 Olive oil section of E-Mart store
The market is rapidly expanding as olive oil is consumed as a “health routine food” beyond cooking oil. With the change in perception of healthy fat consumption and the spread of wellness trends, consumption centered on premium products is becoming clear in the cooking oil market.
According to food industry statistics from the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT), the size of the domestic olive oil market increased from 74.2 billion won in 2022 to 93.7 billion won in 2023 and 114.1 billion won in 2024, with an annual average growth of about 24% over the past three years. Currently, olive oil has become a major item, accounting for about a quarter of household cooking oil sales.
According to the industry on the 6th, olive oil is growing at the distribution site. E-Mart’s sales growth rate of olive oil stood at 25% in 2023, 31.5% in 2024, and 29.2% in 2025, and also rose 21.8% in January-February this year. New Year’s gift set items also expanded from about 10 types in 2023 to 17 types this year, reflecting an increase in demand. An E-Mart official said, “Olive oil is driving the growth of the premium cooking oil market by absorbing demand for holiday gifts based on its health image.”
The growing demand for premium cooking oil is also confirmed in the growth of avocado oil. Avocado oil sales growth based on E-Mart recorded 8.3% in 2023, 11% in 2024, 48% in 2025 and 35% in January-February this year. As of this year, the proportion of each type of oil is 58.3%, soybean oil 16.2%, canola oil and sunflower oil 10.6%, grape seed oil 8.4%, and avocado oil 6.5%. The share of olive oil has expanded significantly from 47.1% in 2023 to 58.3% now.
사진 확대 E-Mart’s cooking oil section
The way olive oil is consumed is also changing. In the past, the demand for drinking has been increasing due to the spread of fasting intake routines (aka “Ole Shot”) and wellness diets, especially in cooking oils for salads and pasta. As sharing health routines of SNS and celebrities affects the spread of consumption, quality-oriented selection criteria such as extra-virgin, acidity, low-temperature compression, and single varieties and production areas are also being strengthened. A food industry official explained, “As more and more consumers value health care routines, the demand for direct consumption of olive oil or enjoying it as a functional food is rapidly increasing.”
사진 확대 CU’s olive oil-based health food ‘BB Lab Olive Lemon Shot’
Product diversification through convenience stores and distribution channels is also continuing. On the 28th of last month, CU, a convenience store, launched “BBee Lab Olive Lemon Shot,” an olive oil-based health food. It is a small-packaged double-type product containing organic lemon juice and apple juice in olive oil. CU’s olive oil sales continued to grow in double digits, rising 72.3% in 2023, 38.0% in 2024 and 12.8% in 2025 compared to the same period last year.
Major food companies and health food and distribution industries are also strengthening their premium strategies. Daesang and CJ CheilJedang are subdividing their products into stick-type routine products, single-variant premium products, and portable packages, and are also expanding accessibility through convenience stores and home shopping channels.
According to CJ CheilJedang, sales of olive oil products have grown 21% annually over the past three years. A company official said, “The consumption trend that values health is spreading in cooking oil, and the demand for high-end oil centered on olive oil instead of soybean oil and canola oil is rapidly increasing.”
Dining and Cooking