[Report] Fewer Booths, More Comfort... A Gourmet Feast at Kurly Food Festa

Held for Four Days from the 18th to the 21st
Over 160 Gourmet Brands Participate
Experience Booths Including Chef Cooking Shows

"This is my first time trying this."

e-commerce company Kurly held a large-scale year-end gourmet festival. On this day, the exhibition hall on the first floor of Le West in Magok, COEX, was bustling with visitors to the "Kurly Food Festa" from early in the morning. Not only Kurly's main target audience of women in their 20s to 40s, but also male visitors were noticeable, along with families with children in strollers. Foreigners also joined the early queue. Hwang (30), whom we met in the waiting line, said, "I am a Kurly Members subscriber who purchased the first round of early bird tickets," and added, "I attended last year's Food Festa as well, and the waiting line felt much shorter this year, making the experience more pleasant."

On the morning of the 18th, the exhibition hall on the first floor of Le West Magok at COEX was filled with a queue for the "Curly Food Festa 2025." Photo by Jae-Hyun Park

"Kurly Food Festa 2025," now in its third year, is an offline gourmet event that Kurly holds annually. This year, 160 F&B brands from 109 companies participated, including fresh foods, desserts, beverages, ready meals, meat and seafood, and groceries. To enhance comfort, the number of participating companies and brands was reduced compared to last year, when 128 companies and over 230 F&B brands took part.

Upon entering the venue, visitors were greeted by Kurly's signature purple carpet, a lavish banquet table, and a Christmas tree. The grand classical music playing throughout the hall created the atmosphere of a year-end party. Groups of visitors gathered in front of the banquet table to take commemorative photos. The delicious aroma of food inside the venue stimulated appetites. Son (30), who attended with her husband, said, "Most pop-up stores encourage purchases on-site, but here, for an entrance fee of about 20,000 won, you can experience a variety of foods, which is a huge advantage."

Entrance of Curly Food Festa 2025 venue. Provided by Curly

The most crowded booths that day included Ottogi, Pulmuone, Harim, and Baeksul. The Harim booth, in particular, drew attention by offering small tastings of various products from its "The Gourmet" line, such as dumplings, ramen, and boneless chicken galbi. Jang Hyejeong (50), a resident of Gangseo-gu, Seoul, said, "I stopped by because of the long line, and I enjoyed being able to try various foods. It was my first time tasting The Gourmet chicken galbi, and I plan to add it to my shopping cart when I get home." The Baeksul (CJ CheilJedang) booth promoted its new ultra-convenient pouch product "10-Minute Cook," launched in July, with the brand character taking photos with visitors. Jung Yuri, brand marketing manager at CJ CheilJedang, explained, "Last year, we participated with the Bibigo Squid Game booth, but this year we're here with the 10-Minute Cook booth. Since 10-Minute Cook launched on Kurly this month, we saw this as a great opportunity to introduce the new product, so we even brought in the character from the November ad campaign."

Many brands participating in this Food Festa used the event to introduce new products. At the "Green Nuts" booth, the brand attracted attention by offering samples of its new traditional Korean confectionery and spread, along with a special event where visitors could receive full-sized products. A Green Nuts representative said, "We've been on Kurly for three to four years and operate our own private brand, which has significantly increased sales. Through this Festa, we hope to introduce our traditional confectionery and spread to consumers, and if the response is good, we plan to expand our category with additional product listings on Kurly." In addition, Pulmuone drew attention by unveiling four types of high-concentration tofu, scheduled for release in January next year, exclusively at the Festa.

The 'Green Nuts' booth is operating a Jeonggwa tasting corner. Photo by JaeHyun Park

Kurly's special event, the "Chef Table" zone, also drew significant attention. At 11:30 AM, star chef Ho-yoon Kim, who appeared on "Black & White Chef," held a live cooking session and shared behind-the-scenes stories about product development. Chef Kim, whom we met on-site, personally prepared the White Ragu Pasta meal kit from The Italian Club and shared, "Convenience is the best thing about meal kits. The most important thing for us when translating The Italian Club's taste into a meal kit was to ensure there would be no waste like clam shells," revealing the product development process.

At 11:30 a.m. on the 18th, Chef Ho-yoon Kim is introducing the behind-the-scenes story of the meal kit product at the 'Chef Table Zone'. Photo by Jaehyun Park

A Kurly representative said, "The Food Festa is significant because it allows consumers to taste brands previously available only online, expanding our touchpoints. Our partner companies can also use the Festa to gauge reactions to new products in advance or to raise brand awareness."

Meanwhile, about 23,000 people are expected to visit the Kurly Food Festa over its four-day run. According to Kurly, the first round of early bird tickets, which were sold at a 25% discount to Kurly Members, received a positive response. Those wishing to attend the Kurly Food Festa can purchase admission tickets through the Kurly app. Online, a Kurly Food Festa special event will run until the 29th, offering up to 40% off products from brands featured at the festival.