Food Industry Captures Smashumer with Premium Domestic Ingredients

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[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Hyewon] Recently, due to the impact of COVID-19, consumers have reduced spending on travel and dining out, while increasing expenses on purchasing health-beneficial foods. This is because concerns over ingredients have grown, highlighting the value of domestically produced organic ingredients that can be consumed with confidence.

According to the Korea Rural Economic Institute on the 2nd, the domestic eco-friendly and organic food market size is expected to exceed 2 trillion won by the end of last year. In particular, so-called “Smart-Consumers (Sma-shumers),” known as wise consumers, are influencing the food industry's use of domestically produced organic ingredients. Sma-shumers carefully examine various aspects such as the origin, additives, and efficacy of ingredients, choosing trustworthy products even if they are more expensive.

The food industry is competitively launching new products that capture both taste and quality by utilizing fresh and safe domestically produced organic ingredients.

First, Gongcha Korea released the “Chodang Corn 3 Types” in July last year, using Chodang corn, a specialty product of Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do. Chodang corn attracted great attention from consumers as a popular ingredient this summer due to its 2 to 3 times higher sweetness and crunchy texture compared to regular corn.

The Chodang Corn 3 Types consist of “Chodang Corn Milk Tea + Pearl,” “Chodang Corn Popping Smoothie,” and “Chodang Corn Cheese Jewelry Smoothie.” The new menu gained popularity, surpassing 400,000 cups sold in about a month after launch.

“Hadong Hojicha Milk Tea + Pearl,” introduced in November last year, uses domestically produced organic Hadong hojicha as the main ingredient. By roasting green tea leaves, the bitterness and astringency are reduced while the nutty flavor is enhanced, making it enjoyable for everyone without preference issues. The sweet yet savory hojicha milk tea includes Gongcha’s signature topping, tapioca pearls, providing a chewy texture. Adding the recommended topping, milk foam, offers a deeper and more diverse flavor experience.

Domestically produced organic ingredients are used not only in regular beverages but also in alcoholic drinks. Seven Eleven collaborated with actress Kim Sumi to launch the premium handcrafted makgeolli “Sumi Makgeolli” in November last year.

Sumi Makgeolli uses domestically produced organic non-glutinous and glutinous rice, which costs more than twice as much as the rice used in general mass-market makgeolli. It is a premium traditional liquor called “Samyangju,” fermented three times, delivering a rich body and clean aftertaste. Artificial sweeteners, which are chemical synthetic products that add sweetness, are strictly excluded to emphasize health.

Some food companies use domestic ingredients to contribute to revitalizing the local economy. Ottogi launched vinegar and soup stock made primarily from kelp, the first in the market, to help revive the fishing village economy suffering from COVID-19 consumption downturns. They used kelp from Wando-gun, Jeollanam-do, which produces over 70% of domestic kelp. The kelp vinegar is 100% fermented vinegar, increasing the content of free amino acids, one of the flavor components, by about nine times, enhancing both taste and function in cooking. The kelp soup stock is a cooking seasoning broth made by extracting kelp broth, concentrated tenfold, characterized by a clean umami flavor.

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