The ‘2023 Seoul International Food Industry Exhibition (SEOUL FOOD 2023, hereinafter referred to as Seoul Food 2023)’ was held at KINTEX in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do from Tuesday, the 30th of last month to Friday, June 6, hosted by KOTRA.
At this exhibition, Jeollabuk-do (Governor Kim Kwan-young) and Jeonbuk Bio Convergence Industry Promotion Agency (Director Lee Eun-mi) operated two joint pavilions prepared with special marketing, and Jeonbuk Bio Convergence Industry Promotion Agency’s ‘Marketing Support Traditional Food Marketing Activation Project’ and ‘Jeonbuk Marine Fisheries Start-up Project’ 44 agricultural, fishery and food companies participating in the ‘Investment Center Support Project’ participated.
The ‘Marketing Support Traditional Food Marketing Revitalization Project’ is a project to increase sales of traditional food specialized resources and create new markets through differentiated integrated marketing of underprivileged traditional food companies in the province. In addition, the ‘Jeonbuk Marine Fisheries Startup Investment Center Support Project’ discovers companies with excellent technologies in the marine and fisheries field in the province and supports start-ups, growth, and advancement specialized in marine and fisheries. In addition, Jeollabuk-do and Jeonbuk Bio Convergence Industry Promotion Agency aim to revitalize the local economy and globalize companies in the province through these support projects.
There is a company that is actively engaged in exports with the active support of Jeollabuk-do and Jeonbuk Bio Convergence Industry Promotion Agency. While traditional food is attracting attention thanks to the K-food craze, ‘Duson Food Co., Ltd.’ (CEO Gu Seong-gyu), a company that is leading the ‘globalization’ of traditional food by exporting ‘porridge’, a traditional food made using local food, to 6 countries ) is the main character.
At this exhibition, Duson Food Co., Ltd. set up a booth in the Jeonbuk Chamber of Commerce common hall and displayed and introduced various products scheduled for export in addition to porridge using its know-how in making spout pouches. AVING News met with Koo Seong-gyu, CEO of Dooson Food Co., Ltd., and shared detailed stories about the company.
Q. AVING News: What kind of company is Dooson Food Co., Ltd.?
A. CEO Koo Seong-gyu: Dooson Food Co., Ltd. is the first food company in Korea to develop, manufacture, and distribute ‘drinking porridge’ using a spout pouch. Our unique retort spout pouch manufacturing method allows you to carry the porridge fluidly and has the advantage of being able to store it at room temperature for 12 months (expiration date) from the date of manufacture.
In addition, Dooson Food Co., Ltd. is a social enterprise that uses domestically produced local food to increase farm income and increase social value. Not only that, but with the exception of some products, we are constantly developing innovative products based on local agricultural products through our own dedicated research and development department, and are also promoting regional development.
Q. AVING News: What led you to develop and launch your flagship product, ‘Drinking Porridge’?
A. CEO Koo Seong-gyu: ‘Drinking Porridge’ is a food developed for the socially underprivileged. A product that allows the elderly or nursing hospital patients with limited mobility to easily eat alone. In addition, it was developed to provide a meal plan that is easy to clean up after and does not require dishwashing.
Above all, we created ‘porridge’, a local food product, to provide an environment where our farmers can use agricultural products produced in each region and sell them at a reasonable price.
Q. AVING News: I understand that you are currently expanding into various countries. I am curious to which countries you are currently exporting to.
A. CEO Koo Seong-gyu: The first export country for ‘Drinking Porridge’ is the United States. Currently, we are steadily supplying products thanks to the K-food craze. Following this, we are exporting to China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
Regardless of the East and West, each country has its own unique soup-type food, so the focus is on maximizing the taste of raw materials when exporting. In particular, ‘Drinking Porridge’ received greater attention as Korea (a compound word of ‘Korea’ and ‘Eat’) has a low barrier to access for foreigners.
In addition, local people call it ‘sweet’, ‘easy to eat’, and ‘there is no objection to the taste.’ It is receiving positive reviews and plans to export to India, Europe, and Africa in the future.
Q. AVING News: We have exported to various countries. I am curious which countries are popular and which products are popular.
A. CEO Koo Seong-gyu: The place that received the best response was ‘Hong Kong’. Hong Kong, with its Asian culture similar to Korea, is a place where interest in K-food has grown thanks to the Korean Wave.
In particular, in the drinkable porridge lineup, the ‘drinkable chicken breast porridge’ product was the most popular. In some Southeast Asian countries, the porridge culture of sprinkling salt on chicken was naturally formed, making it more accessible to the public.
Q. Aving News: Due to the nature of porridge, it seems to be highly preferred in the medical industry, including nursing homes. If there is any business agreement in progress with the domestic medical community, please introduce it.
A. CEO Koo Seong-gyu: Currently, we are supplying to Incheon City Medical Center under a veterinary contract, and we are also supplying to private hospitals such as dentistry and plastic surgery.
In addition, we plan to expand the supply and distribution of ‘Drinking Sweet Pumpkin Porridge’ and ‘Drinking Sweet Potato Porridge’, which have been designated as excellent senior-friendly products, to nursing hospitals, nursing welfare centers, and cultural centers.
Q. AVING News: Dooson Food Co., Ltd. is engaged in various sponsorship activities, and I am curious whether it contains a corporate philosophy.
A. CEO Koo Seong-gyu: Currently, in order to remain faithful to its duties as a social enterprise, Dooson Food Co., Ltd. is creating employment for the underprivileged and returning a portion of its profits to society. In addition, various donation activities are being carried out to help revitalize rural areas and create a virtuous economic cycle in underdeveloped areas.
Food companies must have a clear philosophy. Our philosophy is ‘a heart for others.’ ‘Corn tea’, which was once developed in hopes of improving the health of children, has received favorable reviews from the public who want savory and delicious tea. In addition, ‘Drinking Porridge’, developed for the elderly, is attracting attention as a convenient substitute for not only the elderly, but also single-person households and office workers who find eating difficult.
We will continue to strive to ensure that profits from product sales are used to support diligent farmers and the underemployed. Our ultimate goal is to become a ‘consumption activation inducing company’ where everyone shares profits.
Q. AVING News: Last question. Please introduce any new products that are scheduled to be released in the future.
A. CEO Koo Seong-gyu: In addition to the porridge that we currently drink, we also launched baby food for infants and toddlers based on our spout pouch manufacturing know-how, and also introduced portable smoothies in spout pouches to the market. Based on our own manufacturing know-how, we can create a variety of lineups other than porridge.
In the future, we plan to launch a variety of new products, including senior and medical products as well as health products.
Meanwhile, the ‘2023 Seoul International Food Industry Fair’ hosted by KOTRA will strengthen exchanges and cooperation between domestic and foreign food industry-related companies, as well as a conference to discuss domestic and international food trends and insights, and various programs to expand business networks. done. A variety of companies and contents were introduced, including domestic and foreign food-related companies, as well as food equipment, food packaging, and safety equipment-related companies related to food safety, as well as hotels and restaurants.
→ Go to the 2023 Seoul International Food Industry Fair news special page