Ahn Jeong-gyun, CEO of Cheongnim Farm Agricultural Cooperative, Selected as Jeonnam's June 'Rural Convergence Industry Person'

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] Jeonnam Province (Governor Kim Young-rok) announced on the 21st that it has selected Ahn Jeong-gyun, CEO of Cheongnim Farm Agricultural Cooperative Corporation, as the ‘Rural Convergence Industry Person’ for June.

Cheongnim Farm Agricultural Cooperative Corporation, located in Gangjin-eup, Gangjin-gun, was established in 2012 and is a company that directly produces organic shiitake mushrooms and processes them into dried shiitake mushrooms, which are sold nationwide through outlets such as E-Mart.

It operates on a total area of 3,132㎡ with two factory buildings, a sales hall, an education center, auxiliary facilities, and a total of 12 types of machinery and equipment.

Since 1991, CEO Ahn has been cultivating shiitake mushrooms at farms near Chillyang-myeon and Buyongsan in Gangjin-gun, and is currently an eco-friendly leading farmer producing 66 tons annually on 17 hectares of farms in Gangjin and Jindo.

Cheongnim Farm’s shiitake seasoning and powder sets, developed in 2012 with technical support from the Korea Food Research Institute, are natural seasonings that contain no additives such as shiitake mushrooms, kelp, shrimp, or anchovies, and are popular for their excellent taste and aroma.

CEO Ahn has also introduced automated systems to improve product quality through expanded drying and storage facilities, grinding processing technology, and hot air and solar drying methods.

Since registering the company brand ‘Beoseotkkot Pil Ttae’ (When Mushroom Flowers Bloom) in 2014, continuous efforts have been made to enhance competitiveness through story development and participation in exhibitions.

As a result of these efforts, the company received certifications such as GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) designation by the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service in 2015, sixth industry business certification, and organic certification for dried shiitake mushrooms. In 2017, it exported to the United States and Canada, achieving sales of 10 million KRW.

These achievements led to sales of 3.3 billion KRW last year and the creation of six new jobs, increasing the number of employees from 27 to 33. Additionally, mushroom picking experience events have attracted many visitors.

After being selected as a New Knowledge Forester by the Korea Forest Service and a New Knowledge Farmer by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs in 1999, CEO Ahn also received the Presidential Industrial Medal in 2003.

CEO Ahn stated, “We will contribute to enhancing the image of Jeonnam’s agricultural specialties and increasing farmers’ income by producing products with high-quality mushrooms. This year, we aim to expand storage and drying rooms and perfectly establish HACCP facilities, considering community contribution as a core value and continuing our efforts.”

Kang Jong-cheol, Director of Agricultural Food Distribution at Jeonnam Province, said, “We appreciate the efforts to increase the value of local agricultural products by cultivating them organically and processing them, as well as contract farming and job creation for coexistence with the local community. We will continue to support the expansion of sales channels for excellent convergence industry products and the improvement of farmers’ income.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.