“At a time when no one was buying seafood online, we started with the ambition of becoming the ‘Apple of the seafood industry.’”
Founded in 2015 by CEO Seo Seong-won, Hunhun Seafood has built trust in the domestic seafood distribution sector over the past eight years, supplying seafood to over 1.5 million customers and more than 3,000 restaurants.
Unlike existing seafood sales companies, he added a youthful sensibility by creating simple and stylish detailed pages similar to Apple and using photos of products held by hand as the main images. “What was innovative at the time has now become the industry trend.”
CEO Seo noted, “It feels like just yesterday that I started a business at the age of 25 with 5 million won from an officetel near Soraepogu in Namdong-gu, Incheon, but before I knew it, we have grown into a corporation looking at an annual revenue of 20 billion won (2024 projection).”
Hunhun Seafood’s main product is frozen shrimp. CEO Seo stated, “We sell various sizes of shrimp, from cocktail shrimp to fist-sized king tiger shrimp,” adding, “So far, we have sold over 5 million bags of frozen shrimp based on 1 kg.”
The main products include directly manufactured pickled processed foods. “We have sold more than 500,000 jars of products such as raw crab and peeled shrimp.” He noted, “These products make up a significant portion of our revenue.”
CEO Seo explained, “80% of our sales come from B2C (business-to-consumer) transactions,” stating, “We deliver to an average of 3,000 to 4,000 customers nationwide daily.” He added, “We use Naver’s smart store as our online shop and are currently generating about 1 billion won in monthly sales from there alone.”
Regarding the secret to Hunhun Seafood’s growth, CEO Seo replied, “It was our ability to quickly read and respond to trends.” He explained, “Initially, we marketed through blogs and cafes, and three years ago we began focusing on live commerce, and recently, we have been prioritizing YouTube advertising. We have continuously adapted our marketing strategies to keep pace with changes in the times.”
He also explained, “We consistently followed popular food trends,” citing an example of offering products like the ‘home omakase set,’ which combined items that consumers found difficult to enjoy at home. This included selling sets with sea urchin and sea lettuce to enjoy the sweetness of sweet shrimp.
Since 2023, Hunhun Seafood has started importing shrimp directly from Malaysia. This has significantly increased our cost competitiveness.
In April 2021, they completed ‘Hunhun Tower,’ integrating their food manufacturing plant, logistics warehouse, and offices under one roof. CEO Seo stated, “An integrated system has been established where inspection and logistics processing occur on the first floor, while food manufacturing takes place on the second floor. The manufactured food can immediately be sent out for delivery after inspection and packaging,” adding, “This has greatly improved our productivity and operational efficiency.”
Regarding future plans, CEO Seo highlighted the ‘expansion into overseas markets.’ “Starting next year, we plan to import seafood from Southeast Asia, process it, and then export it back to those countries. We anticipate that there will be competitiveness due to the K-food craze.”
He stated, “Our goal is to achieve accumulated sales of 100 billion won by 2025 and to become a brand recognized by the whole nation,” expressing a desire to grow into a brand that people think of when they hear ‘seafood.’
He added, “Our strength lies in the fact that we have brought youthful sensibility to the primary industry to achieve innovation,” emphasizing, “We will continue to pioneer new paths in seafood distribution.”