[Life Chapter 3 Business] 'Alrvipin' Captivating MZ Generation with Rings Made by Grandmothers

On the 8th, I visited the office of ‘RVpin’ in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Upon entering the meeting room, I saw handmade crafts such as bracelets and rings made of thread lined up on one side. These accessories were painstakingly crafted by about 40 grandmothers living in Sangju, Gyeongsangbuk-do. The accessories are products of RVpin’s brand ‘Marco Rojo,’ worn by famous celebrities such as singer IU and actors Park Bo-gum and Jung Hae-in, gaining popularity among MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z) consumers through social networking services (SNS).

When purchasing products made by the grandmothers, customers must choose not only the color and quantity but also one more option: the ‘donation area.’ Customers can select one from supporting milk delivery for elderly living alone, aid for abused children, welfare improvement for firefighters, rescue support for animals in crisis, or solving plastic problems. Shin Bong-guk, CEO of RVpin (34), said, “A portion of the profits generated each time a customer purchases a product is donated,” adding, “Donations are made to the area chosen by the customer.” More than 20% of the net profits are donated.

RVpin is a social enterprise founded in 2016 by CEO Shin after resigning from his teaching position. It not only provides job opportunities for making handicrafts so that grandmothers can earn money but also connects this to donations. Through this process, the grandmothers transform from ‘vulnerable people who need help’ to ‘agents who provide help to others.’

Social venture company RVFIN CEO Bongguk Shin. Photo by Younghan Heo younghan@

원본보기 아이콘

- You were a teacher before starting the business?

▲ Yes. After graduating from a teacher’s college, I worked as an elementary school teacher for about five years. My father was a public official, and my mother worked at a school, so I naturally chose the teaching profession. I liked being a teacher. I was happy interacting with children. I still keep in touch with my students from that time. However, I felt that the scope of work I could do as a teacher was too limited.

I seriously considered my life after military service. I read a lot, including books about social ventures like the popular ‘TOMS Shoes’ at the time. I wanted to create a company that solves social problems. When I told my mother I was going to resign, she cried a lot. But I had prepared my mind for a long time and was firm in my decision.

- Why did you decide to work with grandmothers?

▲ At first, I considered using my expertise to work on child-related projects. Then I came across news that South Korea has the highest elderly suicide rate among OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries, which sparked my interest. Especially, female elderly showed more problems in terms of depression and poverty rates. I decided to address the issues of elderly women through business.

- Why did you determine that grandmothers needed jobs? It must be difficult to earn enough to achieve economic independence through this work.

▲ It’s not just about earning money; I thought it was important for grandmothers to have opportunities to participate in social activities. The two biggest difficulties faced by elderly women are ‘poverty’ and ‘isolation.’ After meeting grandmothers for eight years since the startup in 2016, I realized solving the latter is more important. The grandmothers belong to a generation that felt pressured to live for their families or others rather than themselves. Having lived without opportunities to care for their own identity, they feel more isolated if they have no one to live with. If the time spent alone lengthens, they may suffer from depression. If there is work that many can do together, a network for socializing will form, reducing the time spent alone.

- How did you decide on the business model?

▲ Initially, I considered service businesses like ‘storytelling with grandmothers.’ Then I thought about utilizing the handicraft skills most grandmothers already had. Since my hometown is Sangju, Gyeongbuk, I visited elderly welfare institutions and senior centers in Sangju city through connections with the Sangju City Hall to meet grandmothers directly. We first provided bracelet-making training and conducted crowdfunding to assess business feasibility. At that time, we expected to sell about 1 million KRW through crowdfunding but achieved more than ten times that amount. That was the starting point that led to where we are now. About 40 grandmothers work about four times a month.

- You also acquired a brand, right?

▲ In 2020, we acquired the design brand ‘Craft Link.’ It is a fair trade brand that employs indigenous women in South America to make handicraft products. When orders come in, the entire village moves, which allows mass production of 10,000 to 20,000 handicrafts per month. Through Marco Rojo, we focused on poverty and isolation issues of elderly women and became interested in creating jobs for women in underdeveloped countries, leading to the acquisition. Although both are handicrafts, most buyers of Marco Rojo products are women in their 20s, while Craft Link’s buyers are almost equally male and female, with many in their 30s.

- What is the scale of sales?

▲ Last year, it was 1.5 billion KRW, and this year we expect about 2 billion KRW. Usually, Marco Rojo accounts for half of the sales, and Craft Link about 30%.

- Do you have long-term plans?

▲ I want to continue expanding the business areas. So, recently, we have been operating a branding agency called ‘Prop.’ It started to help other startups with brand design and online sales, but we received many requests to handle branding itself, so we grew it into a business. In the first half of this year, we took charge of brand consulting and identity setting for 12 startups.

- If you have any thoughts on senior issues from working with grandmothers, please share.

▲ Our society views the elderly from a welfare perspective. As a result, many ‘welfare jobs’ are created?jobs for the sake of jobs. These jobs are made from the perspective of surplus labor rather than as agents. Of course, this is something the government must do. However, entrepreneurs in the market should see it differently. Elderly issues have grown large enough to attract market interest. If we constantly think about work that elderly people can do well, I believe it can be made into a sustainable business in the market.

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.