Yeongdong, also known as the ‘Alps of Chungbuk’ is a home of fruit thanks to the unpolluted natural environment and sufficient amount of sunlight. Persimmon is widely cultivated in this area, which has been designated as a special persimmon industrial zone, recognized for its quality. The Shinnong Agriculture Corporation is located here and has been using persimmons to increase added value by producing processed products for over 19 year.

#Processed persimmons only with Dungshi
Persimmons are divided into astringent persimmons and non-astringent persimmons. Astringent persimmons are processed and eaten dried or ripe; while non-astringent persimmons are eaten directly as they have a sweet taste. If astringent persimmons are left on a tree, they will ripen as hongshi. Once hongshi is picked, peeled off and dried, they become gotgam(Dried Persimmon). As there are 200 varieties for astringent persimmons, those to be processed slightly differ. The Shinnong Agriculture Corporation generates products using only ‘Dungshi’ persimmon, which is a traditional variety. The reason is to deepen the original flavor. Dungshi has been used to make dried persimmons since ancient times because of its rounded appearance.
Jung Hea-sook, CEO of Shinnong Agriculture Corporation, said, “Dungshi must remove all the seeds to make a persimmon product. The entire work takes time and effort, and labor costs are high. However, I believe that the authentic taste can be perceived only from a traditional variety, so we stick to this particular type as a raw material.”

#Products carrying natural surroundings
The flagship products of Shinnong Agriculture Corporation are Dried Persimmon, Sliced ​​Dried Persimmon, Ice Persimmon, and Semi Dried Persimmon. Dried persimmon contains 35% of moisture after a 60-day drying process, which is chewy and tastes sweet with 40-50 Brix. After drying for 40 to 50 days, the semi-dried persimmon can be pleasantly enjoyed with softer texture with its look like dried persimmon on the surface. The bite-sized sliced dried persimmons are easy to munch on, which are often consumed as a snack. Ice persimmon is gaining popularity with the concept of a healthy snack as a substitute for ice cream. All the products are manufactured without any additives such as sugar or preservatives, so they are excellent in food safety.
CEO Jung said, “Yeongdong is famous as a home of fruit, so certainly it offers a wonderful environment for growing fruit. Also, the bigger the daily temperature difference, the sweeter the fruit, so there is no need to put additives such as sugar.”

#Develop export market with safety certification
The Shinnong Agriculture Corporation entered the global market in 2013. At that time, Vietnam imported 3 tons of products and that’s when the overseas development commenced. Since then, export destinations have steadily increased such as Hong Kong and Australia, shipping off about 30 tons of products per year. In recent years, although exports have decreased to some extent due to the difficulties caused by COVID-19; fortunately, it is projected to recover to the previous year’s level. It is also expected to consume as a gift during the ‘Tet’, Vietnam’s biggest holiday, and the interest of K-FOOD poured out in Southeast Asia is still ongoing. The Shinnong Agriculture Corporation has acquired Halal certification last year for export to Islamic countries, in addition to updating safety certifications such as ISO22000 and GAP.
CEO Jung said, “Vietnam is one of the countries that primarily consume processed persimmon products, and their reliability of Korean products is impressive. That is the safety and quality is highly evaluated. As interest is gradually increasing in Australia and the United States, we will try to produce first-rate persimmon products so that both manufacturers and buyers can win-win.”

Inquiries Shinnong agriculture corporation / シンノン干し柿
Tel +82-43-744-0090
Fax +82-43-744-9339
Website www.gam114.com