Q Is it a new way of family business succession?

We are cousins, born and raised in Biando. And we both majored in design. Our parents produce laver in Biando. Their laver is distributed, bearing a different origin name because there is no processing plant in Gunsan. We thought of connecting the family business with our abilities and decided to form Gunsan Sumgim to ensure that their true origin is known to the market. The name, Gunsan Sumgim, implies the “laver of Gunsan's islands” and “devoted to the laver.”

Q What did you care the most about the product?

Our mission was to describe Gunsan in the product. We tested dozens of drafts, but the design became distracting because it contained too much content. In the end, we decided to focus on expressing Gunsan in our product. We then produce a simplified image of Biando and colored laver in black. Gunsan Sumgim targets various generations. We want to approach the middle-aged and elderly people with quality and young people with an adorable and friendly design. The product is available in small, medium, and large sizes by considering consumers’ preferences and usage. The product comes in a small air-tight zipper bag containing about 20 laver sheets because it is vulnerable to moisture.

Q When was the most memorable comment during the screening of this award?

It was the comment of the majority of the judges, “It would be alright to stick with the traditional laver type.” From the beginning, we wanted to deliver the unique taste and aroma of unseasoned laver, and we entered the award with the traditional laver type. Since I was a child, I have been eating only traditional (unseasoned and unroasted) laver. However, urbanites didn’t know the deep taste of traditional laver. That excited us. I thought it was an opportunity to show the charm of traditional laver. We were at a loss for a moment when people around us advised us to develop other types of laver products for wider targets and avoidance of seasonality. When our product received good reviews from the award judges, we became confident that we were walking the right path.

Q What has changed through the award?

It was burdensome to change the existing package because we had already produced a lot. However, we managed to apply the improvement quickly as our weaknesses were apparent. We decided to release seasoned laver too, which had lingered in our minds. We removed irrelevant social media content as advised by the award judges. We replaced it with content that exhibits product-related high-quality images, such as traditional lavers’ benefits and tips on using laver as a thank-you gift.

Q Please tell us more about your plans.

We joke that someday, we would see foreigners eating Gunsan Sumgim laver as a wine snack in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Laver is a popular product for locals and foreigners alike. I hope that Gunsan Sumgim will become a must-have item at duty-free shops in Korea. We look forward to that day, and these days, we are producing convenient lunch-box laver products.