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Food products featuring characters are common. From chicken nuggets to juice, they almost all include Pororo or a similar character. However, the order is fixed. A completed product already exists, and a character is simply applied to it. Once the contract period ends, the packaging is simply removed.
Teen Teens reversed that order. It secures an IP (intellectual property) first, then designs products to fit that worldview. Son Hee-jin, CEO of Teen Teens, said, “We pursue ‘content commerce’ that combines IP and content, rather than being a general food company.”
Reflections after 8 years in food planning: “IP applied only to packaging has its limits”
Son (CEO) spent eight years in the food industry developing products and planning brands. Involved in the launch of more than 100 products, he observed the entire process of collaboration between food and IP. He reflected, “A considerable number of IP collaborations felt like characters were simply added as packaging to already-made products.” There were limits to unlocking the potential of IP through mere physical combination alone.
Teen Teens started with IP instead of products. From the planning stage, it studied the IP’s worldview and designed products according to the story and fan tendencies, even creating content. It targeted the unique characteristics possessed by each fandom. By absorbing IP fandoms as they are, it can also significantly reduce customer acquisition costs (CAC).
In 2024, it collaborated for the first time with a webtoon artist who draws health-themed comics and launched a ‘protein shake.’ MZ generation members watching the webtoon placed orders without hesitation. Voluntary social media virality followed. The 0.3 billion won worth of inventory prepared as a test sold out in an instant. It was the first revenue generated in the year Teen Teens was established.
Once the dam broke, various IP collaboration proposals came in. With the animation ‘Bread Barbershop,’ it began collaborating last June and launched four types of protein shake packages tailored to the anime’s worldview. A collaboration with an animation IP that is currently enjoying explosive popularity among children is also scheduled for November this year.
After protein shakes, ‘low-sugar rice cakes’
Teen Teens, which started with the protein shake brand ‘Better Teens,’ shifted its focus to ‘low-sugar rice cakes.’ The brand ‘Neosom,’ launched in January this year, is characterized by applying various flavors to seolgi rice cakes while drastically reducing calories. Son (CEO) stated, “To develop delicious low-sugar seolgi, I traveled around the country for a year and tested more than 3,200 samples.”
The launch process itself became a marketing tool. Before creating the brand, Son (CEO) recorded the making process on a social media account called ‘Tteokbaeksu’ (Rice Cake Expert), and nearly 5,000 followers gathered before the launch. Without spending a single won on advertising, the 1,200 sets prepared for the first day sold out.
Subsequently, contact from MDs at various distribution channels such as Kakao continued. It is currently listed on online channels such as Baemin (Baemin) B Mart and Coupang. It will also enter Curry this month. Revenue, which was only 0.3 billion won in 2024, reached 300 million won last year and 500 million won through the third quarter of this year. By launching nine new types of seolgi in the fourth quarter of this year, it is aiming for an annual revenue of 1.5 billion won.
“I hope you don’t hesitate before your favorite food”
Following protein shakes and low-sugar rice cakes, Teen Teens plans to launch another healthy beverage brand next year. The common point among the product lines is ‘wellness food.’ Son (CEO) recalled, “When I was working at a job, my health was greatly damaged as my workload increased,” adding, “At that time, I strongly felt that even if I ate just one bite, I wanted to eat something proper and delicious. This became the motivation for creating Teen Teens.”
Most reactions from those around him were skeptical when he said he would make low-sugar rice cakes. However, seeing the launched products sell out in an instant and other companies imitating them by trying to release similar products, Son (CEO) feels confident that “we are on the right path.” Recently, Teen Teens was finally selected for the ‘2026 Forestry Startup Seed Support Project,’ hosted by the Korea Forest Service Agency and operated by Tap Angel Partners, recognizing its business results and growth potential. It was also selected for the Ministry of SMEs and Startups’ TIPS program and has begun developing a model to manage food manufacturing data with AI digital twins.
Son (CEO) said, “I hope everyone can enjoy their favorite food deliciously without guilt while putting less burden on their bodies.” He emphasized, “I want to create a world where you don’t have to hesitate before your favorite food.”
[MoneyToday startup media platform Unicorn Factory]
in FUTURE
