Theborn Korea said on the 19th that it will roll out the "Dasion (温) Project" to revitalize markets in regions facing a population extinction crisis.
The Dasion project is short for "bringing warmth back to markets." It is a project that drives commercial district revitalization by combining menu development using local specialties with startup support in underused traditional markets.
According to Theborn Korea, on the 13th, a food-service startup theme park opened at Gaeun Ajagae Market in Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang. Based on the Food Service Industry Development Institute Mungyeong Center established in Apr. last year, Theborn Korea built a customized startup ecosystem by developing menus using local specialties, providing startup education, and creating commercial district infrastructure.
In the process, it developed menus using Mungyeong specialties such as yakdol pork, apples, omija, and shiitake mushrooms, and selected, through an open call, startup teams for 10 food-service brands including bunsik, pork cutlet, sausage, noodles, jeon house, gukbap, jokbal, charcoal-grilled bulgogi, bread, and rice cake desserts. Theborn Korea provided these teams with menu and recipe transfer, operations consulting, and marketing education. It has since continued ongoing coaching such as sales monitoring, additional menu development, and store revitalization support.
The Dasion project now underway in Mungyeong is the fourth. Earlier in 2023, Theborn Korea pursued the project at Yesan Market Square in Yesan County, South Chungcheong; Geumak Village in Geumak-ri, Jeju; and the youth food-service startup space in An-ri Village, Changnyeong County, South Gyeongsang, linking the development of food-service brands using local agricultural specialties with support for youth entrepreneurship.
A Theborn Korea official said, "The goal of the Dasion project is to revive sluggish local commercial districts based on our food-service consulting know-how," adding, "Following Yesan, Changnyeong, and Mungyeong, we will expand tailored food-service startup platforms to regions across the country at risk of extinction."