Handok Officially Launches Health Functional Food Subsidiary "Handok Healthcare"

Handok's health functional food and food subsidiary, "Handok Healthcare," has been officially launched.

According to Handok on May 19, "Handok Healthcare" is a newly established company that integrates Handok's consumer healthcare division and Terra Values, a Japanese functional ingredient company acquired by Handok in 2016. It will be operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of Handok. The launch of Handok Healthcare is part of Handok's value-up strategy. By vertically integrating from raw materials to product development and sales, Handok Healthcare aims to strengthen profitability.

Donghan Kim, Executive Director of Handok's Planning and Coordination Office, and Sohyun Kwon, CEO of Terra Values, have each been appointed as co-CEOs of Handok Healthcare. Donghan Kim will oversee the health functional food and food business, while Sohyun Kwon will be responsible for the global ingredients business and research and development. By combining the expertise and experience of both CEOs, the company aims to maximize synergy effects.

Handok Healthcare plans to target both the domestic and global health functional food markets by leveraging the growth momentum of the curcumin market, which is driven by the spread of wellness culture and increasing preference for natural ingredients. Its core competitive advantage is Theracurmin, a premium curcumin ingredient with enhanced bioavailability. Handok Healthcare owns brands such as Theracurmin, the health functional food "Nature Set," and the hangover remedy "Ready Q."

Theracurmin is a premium functional ingredient developed by Terra Values. Compared to regular curcumin, it offers a dramatically improved absorption rate in the body and has garnered attention in the market for its scientifically proven efficacy. Currently, its sales network is expanding not only in large offline retailers such as Emart Traders, but also on domestic and international online platforms. The company is also increasing its accessibility to global consumers through Amazon and domestic direct purchase sites.

Donghan Kim, CEO of Handok Healthcare, stated, "We will establish solid leadership in the curcumin market based on the differentiated ingredient Theracurmin, as well as the strict quality standards and research expertise of a pharmaceutical company," adding, "Although competition in the health food market is intensifying, we will secure profitability through vertical integration centered on Theracurmin and target both domestic and global markets to achieve robust growth in the health functional food sector."

Meanwhile, the curcumin market is showing remarkable growth both domestically and internationally. In particular, in the United States, curcumin was selected as the number one health supplement by consumers and has recorded a stable average annual growth rate of 5% over the past three years. In Korea as well, growing interest in health management and natural ingredients is rapidly increasing the number of curcumin-based products.