Dawon Jankaji Tteok pushes forward franchise

▲ Dawon Jankaji Tteok / CEO Kim Sun-woong

There are many kinds of rice cakes in South Korea. Sultteok (rice wine cake) among them are loved by many for easy digestion. Sultteok is called jeungpyeon, kiju, kijeong and kiji according to its region and the last one is known to be a speciality of Gyeongsang Province. It is small and round and the locals call it often as jankaji tteok. 

Yeast and lactobacillus are used to make jankaji tteok. Some say the cake was only enjoyed by the rich in olden days as the process of making takes a considerable amount of time and effort. 

"It is sensitive to temperature and one must give attention to detail care throughout the whole making processes. Every time you make it, you see a different result which is the charm of this rice cake. In other words, you need to make it whole heartedly in order to create the very best taste" explains Kim Sun-woong, CEO of Dawon Jankaji Tteok.

Nestled in Daejeon Metropolitan City, Dawon Jankaji Tteok is using 100% newly harvested homeland rice as well as locally produced rice wine that has had 50 years of history. Not a single additive or coloring is allowed to be used but only the natural ingredients to give the original and fresh taste. 

You can keep jankaji tteok up to 3 days even during the summer but up to 6 months in frozen. Simply grill this rice cake on a frypan or cook it in a microwave to enjoy the very taste intact. 

A box of 50 units is only 14,000 won ($11) and it suits perfectly for a snack or a meal. It is also good for you to send one as a gift to someone dear to you. To keep the maximum freshness, all rice cakes are made to order and delivery is offered when ordered more than 2 boxes. 

"I value two things above anything else. Firstly it is taste and secondly it is quality. A product might get attention at first without these two but it eventually disappeared without anybody knowing when and how at the end. This is the reason I strictly keep made to order only policy."

Those who wish to join the business are welcome for they only need to pay fees for technology transfer. All ingredients are conveniently supplied from the head office alongside Jangsu Makgeolli. 

Currently, a number of stores are in business in Daejeon, Bucheon, Gimpo, Gwangmyeon and Cheonan while Eumseong and Donghae are soon to open. 

"I'm ambitious to open 4 stores in Seoul and start expanding the business in full swing. And this comes with continuous R&D and investment in taste and quality."

Dawon Jankaji Tteok received the 2020 Innovation Winner held by the Herald Business.