From Jeju is a company that brings Jeju’s agricultural, livestock, and seafood products to consumers across Korea, promoting the value of local industries. Beyond simply selling products, it conveys the philosophy and stories of producers, attracting significant attention. The company’s commitment was further recognized when it won the Grand Prize at the 2024 Integrated Local Festa IR Pitching Competition. To better understand how From Jeju delivers the essence of Jeju to consumers, we met with CEO Jin Jeong-Eun at the ‘Jeju to Table’ event in Hannam-dong.
Written by Won-Bok Lee | Photos by Seung-Jin Hong
Jin Jeong-Eun, CEO of From Jeju
Q. Congratulations on winning the Grand Prize at the ‘2024 Local Festa’ IR Pitching Competition! We’d love to hear more about From Jeju. Could you introduce the company?
Jin Jeong-Eun_From Jeju is an online platform specializing in Jeju’s agricultural, livestock, and seafood products, now in its seventh year. What sets us apart is that we don’t simply list producers on our platform—instead, we personally visit production sites, carefully curate products, and select producers through an extensive process. Currently, we work with over 80 producers and offer more than 210 different products. One of our proudest achievements is our exceptionally high customer rating, averaging 96 points. We believe this is because we go beyond selling products—we focus on sharing the unseen value and stories behind the production process, documenting these details, and transparently sharing them with consumers to build trust.
Dishes showcased at the ‘Jeju to Table – Hannamdan Amberjack Festival’ in December, held in Hannam-dong, Seoul
Q. What were you doing before starting From Jeju, and what inspired you to launch this business?
Jin Jeong-Eun_Before founding From Jeju, I worked at Naver for about seven years. After constantly pushing myself, I needed a break, so I decided to take a month off and came to Jeju. At that time, my husband gave me a challenge: “Earn 100 KRW in Jeju.” But the catch was that it couldn’t involve physical labor—it had to be something that created both profit and value. On my second day in Jeju, the name From Jeju came to me. As I explored my surroundings, I visited Sehwa Five-Day Market to buy ingredients and discovered products I had never seen on the mainland. That’s when I thought, “Why aren’t these amazing products being sold online?” I realized that if I combined the stories of local producers with the unique value of Jeju, consumers would love it. That’s how From Jeju began.
Q. What are the criteria for selecting producers and partners for From Jeju? How do you discover high-quality agricultural, livestock, and seafood products from Jeju?
JJin Jeong-Eun_Beyond just product quality, we place great importance on the producer’s philosophy and values. Consumers are drawn to these aspects and place their trust in them. When we first started, we had no network, so the only way to find high-quality products was to personally visit agricultural and seafood expos and meet producers face-to-face. Now, as our network has grown, we also receive introductions to new producers. I personally love photography, and over the past seven years, I have traveled across production sites, capturing over 120,000 photos. These images are incredibly valuable, so in October, I held an exhibition titled "Farmers, From Jeju" to share them with the public. Many producers told me they felt a deep sense of pride seeing their work reflected in these photographs, which was incredibly rewarding.
CEO Jin Jeong-Eun presenting the vision of From Jeju at J-CONNECT Day
Q. From Jeju seems to place great importance on relationships with local producers.
Jin Jeong-Eun_Absolutely—our business exists because of our producers. Moreover, our relationship with them is interactive. At first, we wanted to avoid competition among producers, so we limited each product category to just one supplier. However, as our customer base grew, we struggled to keep up with demand. To address this, we formed teams of 3 to 4 producers for high-demand products. This led to stronger collaboration among producers, who previously worked in isolation—whether on their farms or out at sea. Now, they actively communicate and support one another. In this way, From Jeju functions not just as a marketplace but as a network connecting producers, From Jeju, and consumers—all working together.
Q. What are the core values that From Jeju pursues, and what strategies do you use to realize them?
Jin Jeong-Eun_At the heart of From Jeju is a clear philosophy: supporting the local community. Once we established this philosophy, it became clear what direction we needed to take. For example, we use our online store’s product pages not just for sales but also to share the stories of producers and introduce cooking methods to help consumers enjoy the products in the best way possible. Additionally, we host various events to convey the full value of Jeju’s producers and their agricultural, livestock, and seafood products. Our ‘Zero to Table’ program allows participants to experience Jeju’s culinary culture directly at the production sites. Meanwhile, events like today’s ‘Jeju to Table – Hannamdan Amberjack Festival’ bring Jeju’s flavors directly to consumers. Through these initiatives, producers can share their philosophies and values firsthand, while consumers gain a deeper, more meaningful experience beyond just purchasing products.
Q. You’ve also developed private brand (PB) products. What motivated you to create them?
Jin Jeong-Eun_These products were developed through the Local Creator Incubation Program. We collaborated with 101 Change, a well-known local brand led by CEO Ahn Joo-Hee, to create pickles using unique Jeju ingredients such as yangha (Zingiber mioga), heirloom tomatoes, watermelons, and bracken.
There are so many valuable ingredients that have disappeared from our everyday meals simply because they are not widely recognized. I wanted to reintroduce these forgotten ingredients to consumers in a way that felt both familiar and innovative. For example, have you ever heard of yangha? Even though it’s a specialty ingredient from Jeju, it remains relatively unknown. Most Jeju locals only eat it as a vegetable side dish or in pickled form. So, we decided to reinvent it as a pickle, making it an exciting new product. Yangha pickles pair exceptionally well with amberjack sashimi, so I highly recommend trying them together!
Q. What was your experience like participating in the Local Creator Incubation Program?
Jin Jeong-Eun_It was an invaluable opportunity to organize our business structure and clarify our direction. Writing the initial business plan allowed me to reaffirm my philosophy and the values I wanted to achieve, making our future path even clearer. Through this program, we also experienced the synergy of collaborating with other local creators, which helped us carry out more meaningful and in-depth projects. This experience went beyond just receiving business support—it became a driving force for developing sustainable projects that could positively impact the local community. Moving forward, we plan to strengthen our collaborations with other local brands and continue initiatives that highlight and elevate the value of Jeju.
Q. You’re also running the ‘From Namhae’ brand. How did it start?
Jin Jeong-Eun_From the very beginning of From Jeju, I had a long-term vision to expand the business beyond Jeju to include the East Sea, South Sea, and West Sea regions. The first step in that expansion was ‘From Namhae,’ which is based in Namhae, my hometown in Jinju, Gyeongsangnam-do. This brand is managed by Park Kyu-Mi, who works closely with me.
Park Kyu-Mi_‘From Namhae’ is a brand dedicated to introducing the local specialties of the South Sea region, stretching from Gyeongsangnam-do to Jeollanam-do. This area is home to exceptional seafood and agricultural products, just as Jeju is. Some of our key offerings include wild-caught oysters, dried persimmons, red-banded scallops, Spanish mackerel sashimi, and freshwater clam soup. One of the most unique and popular products comes from Seopo Bay in Sacheon, Gyeongnam, where oysters are still cultivated using traditional bamboo stake methods along the shoreline. However, due to an aging producer population, many local fishermen have relied solely on small-scale transactions without utilizing modern online sales channels. To address this, we personally visited the producers, built partnerships, and helped launch their products online. Initially, some were skeptical, but as they started seeing positive results, other local producers became interested in expanding their distribution channels as well. Our goal is to use this successful case as a stepping stone to empower more producers, helping them grow through sustainable sales strategies.
CEO Jin Jeong-Eun (left) and Park Kyu-Mi, head of ‘From Namhae’ (right)
Q. Your efforts seem to be one of the key reasons you won the Grand Prize at the Integrated Local Festa. How do you feel about this achievement?
Jin Jeong-Eun_When things get busy, we often find ourselves working late into the night. Despite that, our team members always stay passionate, dedicated, and go beyond what is expected of them. I’m incredibly grateful for their hard work. Above all, this success wouldn’t have been possible without the 80+ local producers who have trusted and worked with us. Thanks to their partnership, From Jeju has been able to grow into what it is today. I want to express my heartfelt appreciation to everyone who has been part of this journey with us.
Q. What are your future plans?
Jin Jeong-Eun_First, we plan to further expand ‘From Namhae’, growing it into a stronger brand. Second, we aim to establish a base in Jeju, allowing us to be closer to local producers while creating an environment where customers can experience Jeju’s products in more immersive ways. Lastly, we will develop our own e-commerce platform, enhancing personalized services for our customers. Above all, we are committed to strengthening collaboration with the local community and building a sustainable business model. Our goal is to fully convey the value of Jeju to both producers and consumers while creating a platform that positively impacts the local economy and cultural landscape.
