Food Ink 25: Announcing Heart & Seoul Food Co.

Launching a climate-positive CPG brand...

Hello Food Ink fam!

Today, I have some exciting news to share: Heart & Seoul Food Co. has officially launched, and preorders are live for our Korean-style broths and traditional cooking fats! 🥳

I've been developing this CPG (consumer packaged goods) brand for years now. The pop-ups have been a part of that development, introducing and testing the Korean-style of broth against an unfamiliar audience and collecting feedback. Last spring, I took Cornell's Food Product Development Certificate program to learn all about food safety, food manufacturing, and commercializing a food product.

Even my livestock apprenticeship at the end of 2019 has been a part of the story, showing me what whole-animal utilization could look like. And since returning to New York in 2021, I've spoken to dozens of farmers to validate the problem we're trying to solve for them: getting paid for the whole animal.

Did you know that almost half of the cow and a third of the pig are considered "inedible" in the US? Meanwhile, these are often the most nutrient-dense parts of the animal, the parts that cultures the world over prize and value in their cuisine.

So allow me to finally introduce you to Heart & Seoul Food Co.

Our mission is to build a climate-positive meat industry through delicious foods rooted in culture. To do that, we source from small farms, support regenerative farming practices, and promote whole-animal nutrition.

We're starting out with a limited edition drop and taking preorders to sell out as much as we can before we head into the kitchen to whip up the magic. With this approach, we can minimize food waste, reduce our overhead, and ensure that every order is made fresh with love 💛

This first drop is entirely sourced from Chaseholm Farm, a 100% grass-fed dairy in Pine Plains, NY that also raises beef and pork. Using their incredible ingredients, we're making truly nourishing, collagen-rich bone broths and anti-inflammatory, nutrient-rich cooking fats.

For now, we are prioritizing local delivery in NYC. We're also on the lookout to add pickup locations to give folks that option, so if you have any suggestions for pickup partners, please let me know! (You can simply reply to this email).

For those outside of NYC or out of range of a pickup location, we are offering shipping. However, there will be a handling fee for now until we can better operationalize fulfillment. If the fee is more than you're comfortable with, please register with your zip code here so we can prioritize delivery to your area in the near future.

I know I haven't done the best job of updating you all throughout this journey. I had high hopes of “learning in public” and sharing takeaways from my deep dives into packaging materials and processing methods, ingredient sourcing and recipe development, and everything in between. Trust me when I say that every single decision that went into these broths and cooking fats has been meticulously thought out, researched, and tested. In these coming weeks and months, I plan to share more of what I’ve learned in the realms of cooking, food safety, food manufacturing, and packaging. So watch this space!

And the Instagram 🤩

And the email list 😁

Big thanks to all my friends and family who have supported me on this journey so far, both morally and as food testers! Especially my girlfriend Reesa who has tested so much broth and lard and tallow over the past year or so. And huge shoutout to my friends David, Bianca, and Shreema who have helped me in the kitchen for my pop-ups, and to Jack, who is now an official part of the team and responsible for the incredible photos and videos on the website and socials.

And thank you if you're reading this and have been following along in any small way, here or on social media. Thanks to those who have chimed in with encouraging words, commented on or liked our social posts - it all helps! I appreciate having you along for the ride of building a climate-positive meat industry, creating delicious foods rooted in culture, supporting small farms and regenerative practices, and promoting whole-animal nutrition.

It's been quite a long and winding journey even to get here at the starting line, and there's a long road ahead. I'm incredibly excited to be working on this mission to transform our food system, pay farmers for more of their hard work, and reclaim our collective health through ancestral wisdom. It's something I believe in with every fiber of my being, and I can't thank you enough for being here with me.

With all my Heart & Seoul,

Edlin

🫰