Funeral Service "Big Three" Now Compete in Food and Beverage

Boram Group Deploys F&B Experts at the Forefront... Strengthening Inter-Affiliate Synergy
Kyowon Life Separately Manages F&B Revenue... 24-Fold Growth in Six Years
Freed Life Launches Exclusive Highball for Swilnakwon... Driving Service Innovation

The competitive landscape in the funeral service industry is expanding into the food and beverage (F&B) sector. The F&B business has emerged as a new battleground for the industry, positioned as a core element to maximize the added value of funeral services. The “Big Three” in the industry?Freed Life, Boram Group, and Kyowon Life?are expected to compete to become “total life care companies” by strengthening the connection between their main business and F&B, aiming to encompass all aspects of customers’ lives.

Boram Group is taking the most aggressive approach. Of the seven external executive-level talents recruited last month as part of organizational innovation, two are F&B experts. These include Jang Seunghun, CEO of Boram Bio Business Operations Division, who previously managed food and health functional food operations at CJ Group, and Kim Hyungrae, Executive Director of F&B at Boram Group, who formerly served as the F&B General Director at Hyundai Card and as an executive chef at a five-star hotel. As a first-generation leading funeral service company, Boram Group is placing these experts at the forefront, positioning F&B as a strategic growth axis and seeking to transform itself into a “total life care” company.

Jang Seunghun, CEO of Boram Bio Business Operations Division, is speaking at the on-site press conference of the '2025 Seoul International Food Industry Exhibition' held at KINTEX in Goyang on the 11th. Boram Group

Recent remarks by Jang Seunghun clearly illustrate this direction. At the “2025 Seoul International Food Industry Exhibition” held at KINTEX in Goyang on the 11th, Jang stated, “Health functional foods primarily target active seniors in their 50s and 60s, which aligns with Boram Group’s funeral service customer base.” He added, “We will introduce a service that allows funeral service members to purchase new products at discounted prices.” He further explained, “We are also considering bundled products that provide health functional foods through subscription or partnership formats, along with funeral services.” This strategy is aimed at creating tangible synergy by leveraging the existing funeral service customer base.

Kim Hyungrae is also known for his high expectations regarding the future potential of F&B within the funeral service industry. He is expected to enhance the customer experience by planning F&B products that can be linked with funeral services. A Boram Group representative stated, “F&B is becoming the central axis for realizing total life care through its connection with existing funeral services,” and added, “We will continue to expand the scope of funeral services as a companion in our customers’ lives.”

Kyowon Life recognized the importance of F&B early on, managing “food and beverage revenue” as a separate account in its annual audit reports since 2019. Last year, food and beverage revenue reached 16.4 billion KRW, growing approximately 24-fold over six years to become a core pillar of its revenue structure. In particular, Kyowon Life reported that its craft beers “Naegyeotaeil” and “Hamkkerageo” surpassed a cumulative sales volume of 150,000 cans as of last month.

A Kyowon Life representative stated, “Following the launch of ‘Kyowon Yaeum Yukgaejang’ last year, we are preparing to introduce new menu items this year, such as ‘Smoked Salmon’ and ‘Cold Boiled Beef & Green Onion Soup’,” and added, “By making F&B a strategic asset, we will enhance the overall quality of the funeral service experience.”

Images of Kyowon Life's 'Hamkkerageo' and Freed Life's 'Swilnakwon Orange Highball'. Kyowon Life·Freed Life

Freed Life is collaborating with food material and food service specialists such as CJ Freshway and Foodist to outsource the food and beverage services at its directly operated funeral hall, “Swilnakwon.” The company is also working on developing exclusive private brand products for Swilnakwon. This month, Freed Life launched an exclusive beverage called “Orange Highball.” A Freed Life representative commented, “A common issue in the industry has been that food and beverage services at funeral halls are standardized and have significant quality disparities,” and added, “Freed Life is driving innovation across all aspects of food and beverage services by developing exclusive beverages with differentiated taste and quality.”