Haenam-gun Local Food Direct Market 1 Year After Opening: Establishing a Food Win-Win Cycle System

Recorded Sales of Over 2.6 Billion Won in One Year
1st Anniversary Opening Commemorative Gift Event Also Held

Jeonnam Haenam-gun Local Food Direct Store Celebrates 1st Anniversary (Photo by Haenam-gun)

[Haenam=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Hyun] On the 17th, it was announced that the Haenam-gun Local Food Direct Store in Jeollanam-do marked its 1st anniversary on the 13th.

The Haenam-gun Local Food Direct Store, which opened last year, has established itself as a key hub in creating a virtuous cycle food system by providing healthy food to residents and securing sales channels for small-scale farms.

Since the store opened, over 100,000 consumers have used it, generating sales of over 2.6 billion KRW in just one year. By product category, sales are distributed as 46% agricultural products, 30% livestock products, 19% processed goods, and 4% seafood. This result far exceeded the initial annual sales estimate of about 1.4 billion KRW, highlighting the local food direct store as a trusted source of safe food for residents.

In particular, the number of producing and entering farms expanded remarkably from 270 farms and about 450 items at opening to 420 farms and 692 items in one year. Fresh agricultural products produced on the same day are shipped directly from farms to the local food store every morning from 7 a.m., and 90% of the store’s sales revenue is paid directly to the producing farms, significantly contributing to income improvement for small and medium-sized farms.

Furthermore, all proceeds except shipping fees are paid directly as farm income, enabling farms that ship only fresh vegetables to achieve sales close to 100 million KRW. This has established the store as an excellent food policy that not only ensures stable income for local small farms but also builds a virtuous cycle in the regional economy.

The county is fully committed to establishing a food plan production base by distributing double greenhouses for year-round agricultural production, organizing producers, and expanding shipping items, thereby building a multi-item shipping system centered on small farms.

Additionally, the items shipped to the direct store undergo monthly pesticide residue inspections to ensure safety, and consumers highly appreciate the convenience of purchasing fresh and safe agricultural, livestock, and seafood products from the region.

To celebrate the 1st anniversary, various appreciation events will be held for producers and consumers. These include a 10% discount on all items, additional discounts from shipping farms, and commemorative gifts for visiting customers. Five consumers with outstanding purchase records and five producers with excellent sales performance will each be selected to receive Hanwoo gift sets worth about 200,000 KRW. The newly opened meat corner will offer various discounts and events for a month. Cooking classes inviting consumers who use local food to prepare dishes will also be held by visiting the farms directly.

Myeong Hyun-gwan, the mayor of Haenam-gun, said, “First of all, I sincerely thank the residents and producers who visited the local food direct store on its 1st anniversary. We will continue to strive to realize the policy vision of establishing a virtuous food cycle.” He added, “The local food direct store will serve as a focal point to supply fresh and safe agricultural products from local small and medium farmers to consumers, who can conveniently purchase them, thereby establishing a model distribution structure.”

Haenam=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Hyun alwatros@asiae.co.kr

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