The Future of Grocery Market

A life that considers the story and people behind every ingredient. This is the sustainable future that Superfine envisions.

Interviewer Parc Jinmyoung
Interviewee Cho Seokhyun (CEO of Superfine)

‘Hip’ is a word we often use to praise something cool and trendy. But sometimes its meaning feels vague. Especially when you’re wearing the latest fashion and sitting in a trendy café yet don’t feel hip at all—when you feel like you’re just copying someone else—you start to reconsider the word. Perhaps being truly ‘hip’ isn’t about following trends, but about confidently embracing your own unique taste.
I don’t think the rise of value-based consumption is unrelated to this attitude. Value-based consumption refers to a consumer trend in which people carefully examine whether a brand’s philosophy aligns with their own beliefs and values. For instance, the generation in their 20s and 30s, who are more environmentally conscious than previous generations, actively consider whether a product or brand is eco-friendly or practices ESG, and conversely, they show no mercy in boycotting unethical companies.
The ingredient-curation platform Superfine was born out of this very trend. Starting as a community for value-conscious consumers, Superfine recently opened a grocery store in Seongsu-dong, Seoul. There, city dwellers can discover fresh ingredients, build relationships with producers, and experience value-based consumption firsthand.

Could you briefly introduce Superfine?
Superfine is a supermarket that proposes an alternative, sustainable lifestyle. We combined ‘Super’ from supermarket with ‘Fine,’ as in the greeting ‘I’m fine,’ to capture an experiential meaning as well. From product curation to seasonal bakery menus, various events, and workshops, we offer a distinctive way to experience ingredients.

I heard this platform is run by the branding agency Wires. What led you to start Superfine?
While working in branding, I came to know many local brands that embodied the essence of their regions and their own philosophies. ‘Wanbyeokhan Naldeul (Perfect Days)’ book-stay and ‘Chilseong Shipyard’s Book Salon’ (an independent bookstore), both in Sokcho, were especially impressive. These are representative local brands centered on values like regional coexistence and sustainability. Around the same time, a new consumption trend emerged among the MZ generation, who pursue value-driven consumption. Superfine was created to satisfy both the need for local brand coexistence and this demand for value-based consumption.

What sets the consumption culture of the MZ generation apart from previous generations?
These days, people in their 20s and 30s express the values they want to add through their consumption. Consumption ultimately connects to lifestyle, and the MZ generation tends to make alternative and sustainable choices in every direction of their lives.

Among many possible fields, is there a particular reason you chose to focus on an ingredient platform?
Before Superfine, we first started as a community for value-conscious consumers. Once we actually built it, we realized that a community alone wasn’t enough to spread the message of value-based consumption and the essence we pursue. We thought ingredients might have broader, more mainstream influence, since they’re something everyone needs and can easily access. They also allow for more natural and diverse collaborations with various regions.

What did it feel like to introduce Superfine to the public for the first time?
In our value-conscious consumer community, we met people who were vegan or at the forefront of environmental protection. With a more mainstream Superfine, I was most curious about who would gather there. Since Seongsu-dong has a lot of consumers in their early-to-mid twenties, I was curious how they would view and experience Superfine.

You already have an e-commerce platform—why did you bother opening a physical store as well?
Because it allows experiences that are impossible online. Our goal is to develop Superfine not just as a supermarket where people buy things and leave, but as a community that cultivates an alternative way of living. Naturally, an e-commerce platform can’t expand beyond the purchase of ingredients into something more. The only way to learn about a new product is to read the detailed information online.
At an offline store, customers can have all kinds of experiences beyond simply buying ingredients. For example, at an event themed around scallions grown in Hamyang, Gyeongsangnam-do, and calçotada (a Spanish dish made with scallions), visitors could meet the producers in person and learn a new way to cook scallions through the dish. Events like these become a space where people can connect with producers and one another through a single ingredient.

How do you plan the events and workshops?
Each month, Superfine selects one raw ingredient, and we design our programs to shed new light on an ingredient people already know well. We might pair seasonal vegetables or fruits with other foods, or cook them using unconventional recipes. We try to make sure the entire process—from introducing the ingredient in a new way to tasting dishes made with it—flows smoothly. Going forward, we plan to create bakery and café menu items using seasonal vegetables and fruits.

You’re also creating content that introduces producers. What do you think is the biggest change that happens when producers and consumers form a relationship?
With ingredients bought at a large supermarket, you can’t really know exactly where or how they were made. All we can see is the name of a big brand printed on the packaging. On the other hand, when consumers build relationships with local producers, their perspective on ingredients changes. They start to think about the process behind the food that ends up on their table.
For example, imagine learning that about 30 percent of total apple production consists of ‘flawed apples’—apples that develop minor blemishes during cultivation and lose commercial value. Once you know this, you might not be able to simply walk past a blemished apple at a large supermarket. I believe that understanding an ingredient’s production process, or the producer behind it, more deeply leads to more rational and conscious consumption. If our content, created from the producer’s perspective, helps consumers imagine a sustainable future, wouldn’t that alone be a significant change?

What’s on your mind these days?
I’m thinking about how to appeal to single-person households with seasonal vegetables and fruits. Since single-person households need to buy raw ingredients in small quantities, it’s not easy for them to purchase seasonal produce at the right time. So when we select an ingredient each month, we try to choose one that’s easy for single-person households or people in their 20s and 30s to cook with and use in many different ways. We’re exploring ideas like introducing international recipes or ways to cook the ingredient together with other foods.

Brands built around concepts like ‘sustainability,’ ‘eco-friendliness,’ and ‘upcycling’ are flooding the market. What should consumers keep in mind when choosing a brand that claims to be sustainable?
I think the most important thing is to consider, before purchasing, how often and for how long you’ll actually use the product. No matter how eco-friendly the material, you can only expect real impact if you use it consistently. It’s not important to buy many products made of sustainable materials—what matters is how long you’ll use a single product. Eco-friendly products can sometimes be less durable or less convenient to use, so you also need to consider whether you can accept that trade-off.

Was there a place or destination you referenced while branding Superfine?
The Foxtrot market in the US left the strongest impression on me. Foxtrot started in Chicago as a convenience store targeting graduate students in their twenties, selling light snacks and wine. It now operates multiple stores across Chicago, Dallas, Washington D.C., Virginia, Austin, Bethesda, and more. They sell everything from small local brands to sustainability- and vegan-focused brands, as well as regional agricultural and seafood products. Every store transforms from a convenience store-café at lunchtime into a wine bar in the evening. With a distinctive lineup featuring beloved neighborhood foods and menu items co-developed with renowned chefs, it’s been called ‘the future of the convenience store’ in the US. Foxtrot feels more like a casual, friendly community. In that sense, there’s a lot about it we’d like to emulate.

Is there a destination related to value-based consumption or agriculture that you’d like to visit?
Bologna, Italy is known as a paradise of cooperatives. Cooperative revenue accounts for as much as half of the city’s GDP. I think that’s possible because industries tied to primary producers—like cheese and wine—are highly developed, and small business owners are very active there. I’d love to experience the ecosystem of this city, where small brands and producers gather together. Personally, I love wine and cheese, so I think a winery tour would be a lot of fun too.

What do you think sustainable living means?
I think it means choosing, even when it’s inconvenient right now, to protect the values we need to preserve for the future, rather than simply satisfying short-term desires. The beauty that nature gives us, and the abundance we enjoy because of it, needs to be carried on sustainably. In that sense, I think small daily practices matter more than anything. Using a tumbler or plastic-free products, for example, is one of the easiest things anyone can start doing right away. I think sustainable living is about steadily building up choices that let your future self feel natural and happy.

What are your plans or goals going forward?
We plan to introduce a variety of ingredients by organizing events and workshops in partnership with local producers. Through these programs, we want to grow Superfine’s fan base. For example, we hope that someone who joins an event grilling calçots with scallions from Hamyang, Gyeongsangnam-do, might naturally go on to purchase vegan products featured at Superfine, then try a bakery item made with heumgwa (imperfect, unsold produce). We want to be a brand that proposes new, healthy experiences and helps people take one more step toward a life that nurtures a sustainable future.