Everything for Starting a Food Company in One Place
Shared Kitchens and Labs in Workspaces
Seoul's Food Infrastructure Utilization and Linkage
"This part is undercooked. It didn't receive heat evenly. However, if you cook it more with the brazier here, other parts might get overcooked. So, you need to finish it with a torch."
On the 29th of last month, as soon as I entered the Seoul Food Startup Center located in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, the entrance was filled with the savory smell and heat of chicken skewers. This was because a 'One-Day Startup Class' by Cheongchun F&B, one of the resident companies, was being held in the center's IR theatre.
The Seoul Food Startup Center is the first specialized startup incubation center in the agricultural and food sector established by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Its distinctive feature is fostering food companies rather than self-employed businesses like restaurants. It was located in Garak Mall, Songpa-gu from December 2016, and moved to its current location in Gangdong Green Tower, Gangdong-gu in December 2020.
The center is equipped with one-stop facilities for food company startups. These include workspaces, an open kitchen for prototype production, an R&D lab capable of food ingredient analysis, a microbiology laboratory, and a media room essential for marketing.
Resident companies undergo a performance evaluation after six months and graduate after two years. From 2017 to this year, 173 companies have graduated from the center. The cumulative sales of resident companies reached 112.5 billion KRW, and 956 jobs were created. Intellectual property applications (patents, trademarks, designs) totaled 619.
Some companies have grown here to generate hundreds of billions of KRW in annual sales. Food Farm, a food ingredient distribution platform for small business owners, is called the 'Market Kurly for restaurant owners' and achieved 11 billion KRW in investment and 30 billion KRW in sales after graduation. Fresh Bell, a juice beverage company using domestic agricultural products, was selected as a 'K-Pre Unicorn' last year and entered Costco in the U.S., directly supplying about 110,000 USD (approximately 142 million KRW) worth of products monthly.
Snackrigo's sugar-free high-protein rice cereal 'Phyto Flake' (from the left), Buttle's vegan meal kit 'Mayudeumpuk Mala Tteokbokki', Sustainable's plant-based ice cream made from rice 'Nicekeki'.
Companies residing in the center introduced that the biggest advantage is being able to start a business in Seoul without rental burdens. Baek Jang-seon, CEO of Sustainable, which makes plant-based ice cream 'Nicekeki,' said, "Before moving into the center, we paid over 500,000 KRW per month for an office in Dongjak-gu with two employees. The center only charges a small facility usage fee, so after failing once in 2021, we reapplied and moved in this year."
Another resident company CEO, Lee Chang-eon of Butle, cited support for various exhibitions as the biggest advantage. Lee said, "For exhibitions and pop-up events, booth fees exceed 3 million KRW per participation, but here we can participate for free at least once a month. Since food relies heavily on consumer taste feedback, this is very helpful." Based on consumer responses, he developed 'Vegener Sauce,' a vegan sauce with flavors like spicy chicken, cheddar cheese, and onion cream using plant-based ingredients, and is preparing vegan meal kits.
Ahn Jae-yong, CEO of Snackrigo, who launched the sugar-free high-protein cereal 'Phyto Flake,' said the center's advantage is the opportunity to experience high-level talent that general startups rarely meet. Ahn said, "Startups find it difficult to get advice from experts in marketing, distribution, and R&D, but the center can introduce such experts upon request. Also, networks among resident companies facilitate information exchange, which is very helpful."
A center official said, "Recently, many representatives are reading the vegan trend and connecting it to their businesses. Most resident company CEOs are in their 30s, which creates a dynamic atmosphere that characterizes the center." The center selects resident companies twice a year, targeting prospective entrepreneurs and companies within seven years of establishment.
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