Haenam-gun Local Food Direct Store Achieves 10 Billion Won in Cumulative Sales... What's the Secret?

Securing Sales Channels for Producers and Supplying Safe Food for Consumers
Virtuous Cycle Within the Region... Synergy Effects Analyzed

The Haenam-gun Local Food Direct Store in Jeonnam, operated by County Governor Myung Hyun-gwan, has achieved cumulative sales of 10 billion KRW.

According to the county on the 13th, the Haenam-gun Local Food Direct Store, which opened in Haenam-eup in October 2021, has recorded an average annual sales of over 3 billion KRW, surpassing 10 billion KRW in sales as of the end of last month.

Since its opening, more than 380,000 consumers have visited the store. Notably, the store, which started with 104 farms and 210 items, has now expanded to 589 farms and 793 items, showing remarkable growth. At the Local Food Direct Store, mainly small and medium-sized farms supply a variety of products, including agricultural, livestock, and marine products, as well as processed goods and crafts, through annual planned production.

Despite being located in a rural area without neighboring urban centers, the success of the Haenam-gun Local Food Direct Store is attributed to the synergy created by securing sales channels for producers and supplying safe food to consumers, resulting in a virtuous cycle within the region.

Haenam Local Food Direct Store Exterior. Courtesy of Haenam County

At the Local Food Store, fresh agricultural products produced on the same day are delivered directly by farms every morning. All proceeds, except for shipping fees, are paid directly to the farms, greatly contributing to the stable income growth of local small and medium-sized farms.

The county is making every effort to establish a producer-based food plan by distributing double greenhouses for year-round agricultural production, organizing producers, and expanding the range of shipped items, thereby building a multi-item shipping system centered on small farms. As a result of continuous efforts such as producing high-quality food through the governor’s certification system, the county has been selected as the top local government in the regional food index for two consecutive years.

In line with the vision of "the capital of rural and fishing villages, Haenam," the Haenam Local Food Direct Store plans to establish a sustainable virtuous cycle food system this year as part of the second regional food plan. Going forward, the county aims to build a Food Integrated Support Center, a large-scale logistics hub for collecting, storing, processing, and delivering local agricultural products, with the goal of expanding sales channels beyond the region to major cities.

In particular, once the Food Integrated Support Center is operational, it is expected not only to expand the number of participating farms and items at the direct store but also to promote the sustainable development of local food.

County Governor Myung Hyun-gwan said, "The Haenam Local Food Direct Store is a great example proving that local food businesses can succeed even in rural areas, and it is being benchmarked nationwide. We will continue to build the foundation of Haenam as the capital of rural and fishing villages through the sustainable development of agriculture and rural communities, created together by producers and consumers."