Agricultural Corporation 'Pinogen' ... Grand Prize Winner at Youth Startup Competition in Forestry Sector

Development of Cosmetics Using Pine Tree Ingredients

‘Pinogen Agricultural Corporation,’ headquartered in Andong, Gyeongbuk, received the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Award, the highest prize, at the 4th Youth Startup Competition in the Forestry Sector sponsored by the Korea Forest Service for its project on ‘Developing High Value-added Cosmetics and Food Materials Using Pine Trees.’

Pinogen is a company that manufactures cosmetic and food materials with high antioxidant and antibacterial effects by utilizing by-products generated during forest management.

Recently, it launched the upcycling brand ‘Pinesu,’ which contains high-purity, high-content clean pine needle extract obtained from native Korean Geumgang Pine trees of Sobaeksan Mountain.

Agricultural corporation Pinogen, headquartered in Andong, won the grand prize at the youth startup competition in the forestry sector.

‘Pinesu’ includes 10 products such as water essence, acne-functional foam cleansing, waterless shampoo, and gift sets for corporate and government office presents, and is being sold domestically and exported abroad.

This competition was conducted by the Korea Forest Service with the goal of building a startup ecosystem by fostering outstanding young entrepreneurs in the forestry sector, and winners were selected through presentation evaluations by related experts and a citizen evaluation panel.

Shin Byeol, CEO of Pinogen, said, “Having grown up in the region since childhood, I have seen my father utilize pine trees in various ways. I established the agricultural corporation to develop our verified native Korean pine, which has been consumed and applied for thousands of years, into a global standard. I am pleased that receiving this ministerial award is a meaningful achievement reflecting our continuous efforts to pursue a business that benefits people, the forest environment, and ultimately flora and fauna by utilizing pine trees.”

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