Surrounded by the sea on three sides with more than 70% of its territory being mountainous, South Korea has a wealth of unique agricultural products that encompass the four seasons. We call these fresh products a gift of nature.

Nevertheless, the use of domestic raw materials in the food industry has been less than 30% for several years, and even that is gradually being lost by invasive species.

Rolling up her sleeves, Kim Bo-hyeong, CEO of Agrifood Company, launched a Korean healthy food brand Taegeuk Sagye to promote the excellence of Korean agricultural products, and has already made a strong presence in the global food market, confirming the potential of Korean healthy food in the world.

Taegeuk Sagye, the spirit of the Korean national flag!

Kim blended the healthiness of Korea’s native agricultural products with the spirit of the Korean national flag that embodies the land, the people and the cosmic forces of the universe in all four seasons.

Born naturally weak, Kim grew interest in traditional medicine, exercise and food. She started by processing red ginseng products from the Punggi region and introduced functional foods to the global market during the pandemic, when the importance of immunity was emerging. 

The Punggi area embraces the purity of Sobaek Mountain. In the 27th year of King Jungjong of Joseon (1541), Joo Se-boong, who was the head of the Punggi County, cultivated ginseng for the first time. With a history of over 500 years, the region now can be said to be the home of ginseng in Korea. The land, topography, and climate of this area are considered to be the best for natural ginseng cultivation, and it is known to have higher effective saponin content than ginseng in other regions with firmer flesh and better medicinal effects. Punggi ginseng has been recognized as the best commodity, and it is also recorded that Punggi ginseng was used in the royal palace of the Joseon Dynasty. Taegeuk Sagye is made from 6-year-old Punggi ginseng grown by ginseng masters. These red ginseng products produce red ginseng concentrate raw materials with increased saponins through hot air drying for about 30 hours after 3 hours of boiling at 96~98°C. In addition to low-temperature alcohol extraction method and low-temperature vacuum decompression concentration, only the first water was concentrated to minimize the starch ratio and maximize the content of ginsenosides. The products made in this way are ‘Dark Red Ginseng The Lady’ and ‘Dark Red Ginseng The Premium’.

▲ Agrifood Company / CEO Kim Bo-hyeong

Healthier with healthy ingredients

‘Dark Red Ginseng The Lady’ is Korea’s first liquid type red ginseng stick that combines garcinia cambogia and high-content red ginseng concentrate. The final test results showed that it contained 21.2mg of ginsenosides per sachet. This product enjoys considerable support from women, especially due to its garcinia cambogia (a dietary supplement ingredient that helps break down body fat). On the other hand, the ultra-high content red ginseng stick “Dark Red Ginseng The Premium” is popular as a gift because it contains a whopping 35.3mg of ginsenosides per sachet.

Since the second half of 2020, Agrifood has been steadily participating in numerous exhibitions in the United States, Vietnam, and China, and has begun to stand out overseas first. Within six months of its domestic launch, Agrifood proved its brand power by exporting to Hong Kong and then entering Vietnam and Dubai. 

The ingredients of Taegeuk Sagye are local specialties such as red ginseng powder, concentrate, ginseng root, Shinan sea salt, and Miryang sesame and strawberries. It uses 100% domestic agricultural products as the main raw materials, especially only those products registered in the geographical indication system. Under Kim’s leadership, Agrifood is building healthy Korean agri-food brands. She believes that healthy native agricultural products born and raised in an excellent natural environment will win the hearts of people in Korea and around the world. PowerKorea looks forward to the day when Taegeuk Sagye will go beyond Korea and establish itself as a brand in the world.