When it comes to cooking, it’s more about being a “dad” than a “king.” Jung Tae-woo, an actor known for his roles as kings in historical dramas, has transformed into an entrepreneur with his meal kit business. He founded “Daddy Food,” which offers Korean dishes like gomtang and galbitang, with the goal of providing healthy and delicious meals.

Jung Tae-woo was appointed as a promotional ambassador for the international relief organization Hope Friend Hunger Countermeasures in 1999, which inspired him to establish Daddy Food in 2019. The company aims to provide meals for children who skip meals due to financial difficulties. Jung’s philosophy is to create meals without artificial additives or preservatives, making his products popular among parents and seniors.

“I want to deliver precious meals made with a father’s heart to our neighbors in need. There are many children in Korea who have to skip meals because they can’t afford them. I want to be a father who takes responsibility for feeding not just these children but also undernourished children around the world.”

Jung Tae-woo, who has gained popularity for playing king roles in historical dramas, has become an entrepreneur. His appointment as a promotional ambassador for Hope Friend Hunger Countermeasures in 1999 was the catalyst for establishing Daddy Food in 2019, which aims to provide meals for undernourished children.

Next month, Jung will participate in the World Korean Business Conference in Atlanta as a promotional ambassador, where he plans to expand into the U.S. market as an entrepreneur.

“Daddy Food” means “dad’s food” and focuses on healthy and delicious convenience foods. Starting with gomtang, the company has expanded its product line to include hanwoo gomtang, boneless galbitang, dogani-tang, black pork stir-fry, Chuncheon-style chicken galbi, deboned nurungji baeksuk, tenderloin tonkatsu, and cheese tonkatsu.

Jung explained, “Due to my busy schedule, I often found it difficult to provide proper meals for my children. While relying on convenience foods or delivery, I suddenly wanted to give my two children a delicious and healthy meal, which led me to start this business.”

In line with his philosophy, all products are made without artificial flavor enhancers, preservatives, or concentrated extracts, or use them in minimal amounts. Jung noted, “Since our products aim for healthy meals, they are popular among parents taking care of children and seniors.”

Although the business started with good intentions, it wasn’t smooth from the beginning. Jung said, “All Daddy Food products are not suitable for mass production, so initially, we faced high production costs and inventory burdens. This is because we use raw ingredients just like home cooking, rather than relying on mass production methods using concentrated extracts or artificial additives.”

Konkuk University’s industry-academia cooperation program provided a solution to Jung’s challenges. By adopting more efficient and faster meat extraction techniques through technology transfer, Daddy Food was able to reduce production costs and time.

Furthermore, Jung continues to research products with the university’s team, actively targeting the vegetarian market. They have developed vegan products like “Kongpam” and “Kongnerget,” and plan to create more menus using alternative meats, such as uni jjajangmyeon, japchae, kimbap, and hot dogs.

Daddy Food plans to expand into overseas markets. Jung stated, “Currently, we export to Hong Kong and Japan, and we aim to export to China and Indonesia. The World Korean Business Conference in Atlanta is a crucial opportunity for small businesses to break into the global market, so we will participate in the event to target the U.S. market as well.”

Jung is committed to social responsibility as an ESG entrepreneur. He said, “From the start, I vowed not to just make money but to have a positive impact on society. Since being appointed as a promotional ambassador for Hope Friend Hunger Countermeasures in 1999, I have consistently engaged in regular donations, volunteer work, and talent donations. After establishing Daddy Food, I have been delivering 300 products monthly to vulnerable communities.”

*Original Article:

음식 만들땐 ‘왕’보다 ‘아빠’ 마음이죠

**이호준 기자(lee.hojoon@mk.co.kr)