Harvest Farm Expands Emperor Mushroom Distribution Network with SP Fresh

Agricultural corporation Harvest Farm is intensifying its production and distribution business of Hwangje mushrooms.

Harvest Farm announced on the 1st that it has signed an exclusive production and distribution agreement for Hwangje mushrooms with SP Fresh, a specialized fruit and vegetable distribution company, Geumdang Agricultural Corporation, and WGM Co., Ltd.

(From left) Bang Chang-gyu, CEO of Geumdang; Kim Jong-in, Director of Geumdang Center; Shim Hong-gi, CEO of Exergy21; announcer Kim Hyun-wook; Park Dae-sung, CEO of SP Fresh; Moon Su-ji, CEO of Harvest Farm. / Photo by Exergy21

The signing ceremony took place on the 31st at the SP Fresh headquarters located in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu. Attendees included Moon Suji, CEO of Harvest Farm; Shim Honggi, CEO of Exergy21, the parent company; Park Daesung, CEO of SP Fresh; Bang Changgyu, CEO of Geumdang; and announcer Kim Hyunwook, among other officials.

Harvest Farm holds the exclusive usage rights for the production and distribution of Hwangje mushrooms developed by Geumdang. Harvest Farm is a subsidiary of Exergy21.

Through this agreement, SP Fresh secured exclusive production and distribution rights for Hwangje mushrooms. Utilizing its distribution network, it will supply Hwangje mushrooms to various online and offline retailers such as E-Mart and Homeplus, and plans to participate directly in production in the future.

Hwangje mushrooms are cultivated using a patented cultivation method on 100% pure domestic mushrooms 'Baekhwang (Baekryeong Neutari X Awi Neutari)', developed through the GSP (Golden Seed Project) led by the Rural Development Administration of the Republic of Korea. The glutamic acid involved in protein synthesis is 357 times that of potatoes, and vitamin C, which excels in antioxidant, whitening, and fatigue recovery effects, is 85 times that of apples. Arginine, which is excellent for stamina and damaged cell recovery, is 5.5 times that of oysters.

In particular, ergothioneine, known as a powerful antioxidant functional substance, contains 129.79mg/100g, which is 34 times that of white button mushrooms and 14 times that of Reishi mushrooms. It has outstanding nutritional components incomparable to other commercially available mushrooms, and it is the first in the Korean mushroom industry to receive FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) certification and FSVP (Foreign Supplier Verification Program) certification, ensuring quality safety.

A representative of Harvest Farm stated, “Hwangje mushrooms, a strategic variety of the Republic of Korea developed with 100% pure domestic technology, are increasing their market share in domestic and international mushroom markets due to their excellent taste, nutritional content, and high production efficiency. We will do our best to grow Hwangje mushrooms into a leading global brand in cooperation with SP Fresh, which has the largest agricultural product distribution network in Korea.”

Meanwhile, SP Fresh, a subsidiary of global fruit company Sumifru Korea, distributes various premium imported fruits and agricultural products such as Seolgukhyang, Sapphire Kiwi, and Elephant Mango in the market. Besides import distribution, it plans to expand its business using smart farm technology for production and distribution, as well as unmanned cultivation and automated robots.