"Dr. Walnut's shelled walnuts are fresh and have no off-smell. Let's taste them and talk about it." Choi Ye-seong, the representative of Dr. Walnut, said this during a recent interview while bringing their walnut products for tasting.
Dr. Walnut is a startup that produces and sells walnuts. Founded in 2017 by Choi, who studied psychology in the United States, the company was inspired when Choi heard about advanced agricultural programs, including walnut cultivation, in the U.S. Choi aims to defeat the imported American walnuts that dominate the Korean walnut market.
Currently, Dr. Walnut is directly cultivating walnuts in Yecheon, Gyeongbuk Province. The walnuts brought by Choi that day were shelled and vacuum-sealed in portions of 14 grams, making them easy to eat in one bite. This is also a key competitive advantage of Dr. Walnut.
Choi noted, "When shelled walnuts are left at room temperature, they oxidize, develop an off-smell, and lose their freshness. How they are stored and how quickly they are delivered to consumers determine the taste of the walnuts." He emphasized that after various tests, they were able to maintain the flavor and freshness by vacuum-sealing the walnuts right after they are shelled.
Choi also expressed a commitment to lead the localization of the imported walnut market. Currently, over 90% of the domestic walnut market is occupied by imported products, including those from the U.S. In the U.S., walnuts are shelled in large quantities using machines, a process that involves soaking the walnuts in water, which is a cause of the undesirable smell. Additionally, shelled American walnuts are transported by ship, taking about 30 to 40 days to reach domestic consumers, which significantly diminishes their freshness.
However, Dr. Walnut vacuum-seals the walnuts immediately after shelling and delivers them to consumers within 2 to 7 days. The production farm is located in Yecheon, Gyeongbuk Province, while the processing and packaging plants are in Paju, Gyeonggi Province to facilitate quick deliveries in the metropolitan area.
Choi stated, "The quality difference between Dr. Walnut products, which can reach consumers within 2 days, and imported products is huge," adding that thanks to vacuum-sealing, they can maintain freshness for about six months when frozen.
Choi is also preparing to launch new products. Most mixed nut products sold domestically, including walnuts, are imports, but there are plans to release a product made entirely of domestic ingredients by early next year. Currently focusing on business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions, there are also plans to expand into business-to-business (B2B) transactions in the future. Choi remarked, "Walnut pastries are sold in highway rest areas, but most of the walnuts used in them are imports," stating that they aim to localize the walnuts used in walnut pastries sold domestically.
Choi is strengthening cooperation with local walnut farmers as well. They are sharing know-how on how to produce more and cultivate walnuts more fresh. This is also a measure to secure production volume for Dr. Walnut. Choi stated, "We are selling walnuts from farmers who improved their quality through Dr. Walnut's consulting after vacuum-sealing them and plan to increase this volume further," adding, "In the future, we aim to expand our business portfolio with various foods that can be made using domestic walnuts."