From the farmer's market to the supermarket

By Eric Dodson

(JULY 14, 2019) Matt Choi grew up in southeast Portland, and he always enjoyed his mother’s cooking. But, he had no idea that his mom had the secret to a successful business.

Matt got his business degree from the University of Oregon and in 2011, he was working in a large company. His mother, though, had a bright idea and wanted his help.

Matt’s mother, Chong Choi, grew up in South Korea, and loved making traditional Korean dishes. One food she loved to make was kimchi. Kimchi is a mix of vegetables, spices, and sauce. More and more, kimchi was becoming popular in Oregon and other places around the world. However, it was difficult to find good kimchi in Oregon.

So, Chong asked Matt to help her sell kimchi at the downtown farmer’s market. Matt helped register a table at the farmer’s market. He thought Chong should make 15 jars of kimchi to sell, but on Saturday morning, Chong made 150 jars.

Matt was even more surprised when they sold all 150 jars in a few hours. Chong's kimchi was very delicious, and very popular. He made business plans and invested his money. After a while, he quit his job and worked full-time making and selling kimchi.

Eight years later, you can find Choi’s Kimchi in many supermarkets in the Pacific Northwest. The business grew and grew. Now, they have a factory with many employees. They sell about $1,000,000 of kimchi every year.

Chong still loves to cook. You can see her video recipe for Korean kimchi fried rice online.