JEJU-DO < invest Korea

Kim Sun-il, CEO of Yujinfang, started a tropical fruit farm with the banana seedlings that she received from the Agricultural Technology Center in 2012. The bananas that grew on her farm were found to offer a richer taste and aroma compared to the others in the market. Kim Sun-il used to feel sick after eating imported tropical fruits. However, her usually sensitive body responded more positively with the locally grown bananas that were not treated with any chemical fertilizer or pesticide. Kim saw that her bananas could appeal to health-conscious consumers. She planted 600 banana trees in 2016 and began a full-fledged production line that same year.

Her foremost goal was to deliver the taste of eco-friendly bananas to consumers. For this reason, Yujinfang does not use any pesticide that may be harmful to human bodies. However, the no-pesticide policy meant that she had to deal with the pests using natural means. Tropical crops are notorious for gathering more pests and spiderwebs than other crops. Kim and her husband had to come up with a solution to the problem, and the result was the “Triangle Roof Greenhouse.”

The Triangle Roof Greenhouse is designed to exchange heat and circulate air inside the greenhouse by sealing both sides and leaving an opening on the triangle-shaped roof. The heat exchange and air circulation reduce the temperature gap between the upper and lower parts of the greenhouse. Kim found out that banana trees planted in a standard greenhouse don’t fully grow their leaves in the lower section, and the leaves in the upper section are damaged by intense heat in the upper part of the greenhouse. With the Triangle Roof Greenhouse, Kim was able to reduce the temperature gap and maintain a good temperature for bananas in both the upper and lower parts of the greenhouse. By sealing the sides, she was also able to keep pests from crawling into the greenhouse. The Triangle Roof Greenhouse was patented in 2016 for its effectiveness in preventing pests and promoting crop growth. The full title of the greenhouse is a “Vinyl Greenhouse With Triangular Top Roof For Ventilation.”

After her success with home-grown bananas, she moved on to papayas. Green papaya has wide-ranging applications, and Kim recorded a sale through direct transactions with end consumers. Convinced that tropical and subtropical crops have a chance in Korea, Kim built an experimental cultivation wing. She began to experiment with various subtropical plants, such as yellow papaya, sugar cane, and pineapple. Once a crop is proven to be marketable and the cultivation technologies for the crop are secured, she would immediately begin the process of cultivating the crop. One of the outcomes of these efforts is Kim’s pineapples, which she recently began production and sale.

Yujinfang launched activity programs, developed processed food products, and launched promotional activities to promote the consumption of tropical and subtropical crops. Through this approach, Yujinfang launched a senary industry business from tropical and subtropical crops. Yujinfang grows banana, papaya, aronia, and pineapple on a 31,404 m2 of land and runs activity programs, where visitors can make their own jam and vinegar. Jam and vinegar made from aronia, banana, and pineapples are sold in another corner of the activity hall. In addition, the farm makes jam, vinegar, and homemade fruit tea made from hallabong, tangerine, and green tangerine. All of which are also for sale at the activity hall and in online marketplaces. Other farm products include semidried banana chips.

Kim looked for ways to increase the use of tropical and subtropical crops. During her search, she came across a training program at the Jeju Agricultural Technology Center. She joined the program to learn the basics of fruit jam– and vinegar-making and used banana, pineapple, and other tropical crops as the main ingredient. Tropical fruits are quick to become overripe and discolored, which makes it difficult to market the fruit products. After repeated attempts, Kim finally found the percentage of lemon juice that brings out the taste of the fruits while preventing discoloration. Yujinfang’s naturally fermented fruit vinegar only uses brown rice and yeast and is fermented for over a year, whereas regular vinegar is made by adding artificially cultured acetobacters in alcohol and fermented only for two to three days. One of Yujinfang’s popular products is the banana vinegar, made from pesticide-free bananas and natural fermentation. Yujinfang’s fruit cafè in Hogeun-dong, Seogwipo, offers a banana makgeolli (rice wine)–making program. The program is popular among local residents as well as tourists.

Yujinfang’s venture into the senary industry has only begun.