100% Premium Milk from Seong Isidore Farm
Diverse Product Lineup Including Gelato, Cheese, and Sandwiches
Scaling Up Production with 3.5 Billion Won Agri-Food Fund of Funds
"Just as the world-renowned French ice cream brand Haagen-Dazs is sold globally, my goal is to sell Mr. Milk's gelato, made with premium milk from Jeju, all over the world. I am confident that the premium milk from Seong Isidore Farm in Jeju and Mr. Milk's manufacturing capabilities make this entirely possible," said Shin Seho, CEO of Mr. Milk.
On the 3rd, Shin Seho, CEO of Mr. Milk, is explaining about Mr. Milk. (Photo by Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Joint Press Corps)
On the afternoon of September 3, I visited Mr. Milk, located in Geumak-ri, Jeju City. Mr. Milk is a company that manufactures and sells gelato, yogurt, sandwiches, and milk using premium milk supplied from the nearby Seong Isidore Farm.
Dairy products from Mr. Milk are made using ingredients produced at Seong Isidore Farm, which is located 4 kilometers away. First, for cheese, pasteurized milk is placed in a coagulation tank, where it is curdled and then broken into small pieces to separate the solid 'curd' from the 'whey.' The curd is then placed into molds of a fixed size to produce fresh mozzarella cheese. Yogurt is made using only milk and lactic acid bacteria. The fat content, originally at 3-5%, is standardized to 2.5%, and the remaining fat, or milk cream, is used in ice cream production. Mr. Milk produces and sells a variety of dairy products, including milk, gelato, and cheese, all made from milk 100% supplied by Seong Isidore Farm.
Gelato products produced and sold by Mr. Milk. (Photo by Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Joint Press Corps)
CEO Shin explained, "The raw milk from cows at Seong Isidore Farm, which are fed Italian ryegrass, contains high levels of beta-carotene, which is converted into vitamin A in the body, as well as omega-3. This allows us to produce cheese with very healthy fats and high fiber content. Since the milk is produced by cows that graze on organic pasture grown in the great outdoors, our products are healthy and of exceptional quality, fully comparable to any products from overseas."
Mozzarella production facility of Mr. Milk. Mr. Milk produces cheese using raw milk 100% supplied from Seong Isidolmokjang. (Photo by Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Joint Coverage Team)
Located in Jeju, Mr. Milk can also enjoy the benefit of reduced export logistics costs. Compared to sending raw milk to the mainland for production and then exporting the finished products, producing and exporting directly from Jeju lowers logistics expenses. CEO Shin stated, "By producing and exporting directly from Jeju, instead of sending raw milk to the mainland for processing and then exporting, we can reduce transportation costs by more than 30%. While it costs an average of 110 won to transport 1 liter of raw milk within the mainland, shipping from Jeju to the mainland costs 150 to 160 won, a difference of about 40 to 50 won. However, the 'Jeju premium' is more than sufficient to offset this difference."
Mr. Milk began as a dairy distribution company in 2014 and saw rapid sales growth after building its current factory in May 2022. Sales increased from 300 million won in 2023 to 1.5 billion won in 2024, and reached 2.3 billion won in just the first half of this year. The driving force behind this rapid growth was the 'Agri-Food Fund of Funds.' Mr. Milk received a total of 3.5 billion won in investment support, including 1 billion and 1.5 billion won from agri-food sub-funds in 2019, and a 1 billion won fund investment in 2022. Based on its investment record from the Agri-Food Fund of Funds and its export achievements, Mr. Milk was selected in May this year as the only baby unicorn company in the food sector. As a baby unicorn, it is receiving up to 300 million won in market development funds and special guarantees of up to 5 billion won from the Korea Technology Finance Corporation.
In April this year, Mr. Milk signed its first export contract following meetings with local buyers at a trade fair in Singapore. In June, the company supplied a test shipment worth $3,960 (5.5 million won). CEO Shin stated, "We expect to sign an exclusive supply contract with Singapore worth at least $100,000, and we are also in negotiations for additional contracts with Indonesia and Malaysia. Based on our main product, gelato, and with the development of various milk-based desserts such as milk sandwiches-which have sold a cumulative 7 billion won (550,000 units) at Jeju Airport-we aim to contribute to Jeju's local economy and create added value for the stabilization of the dairy industry."
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