Anc, Serechippy, Kua, Guild Coffee and Nature Assemble recognized — city vows to nurture alley-district brands into Daejeon's flagship names
Daejeon Mayor Heo Tae-jeong on Wednesday presented "2026 Promising Small Business" plaques to five local alley-district brands: Anc, Serechippy, Kua, Guild Coffee and Nature Assemble.
The city selected the five companies through an open call in January and paid each an initial grant of 20 million won ($14,900). Following a mid-term review, two of the five were chosen to receive an additional 25 million won each.
The companies invested the grants in product development, marketing, product design and other commercialization initiatives. As a result, they have posted measurable gains in sales and employment, expanded their online distribution channels and broken into overseas markets, growing into competitive brands that represent Daejeon.
Anc is a premium local bakery brand that develops and manufactures original desserts drawing on the expertise of a nationally certified confectionery master and more than a decade of hands-on experience. The brand recently developed 15 new whole-wheat bakery products and opened a second outlet in Tanbang, expanding its business footprint. It also took the top prize at the 2026 Korea International Bakery Fair competition, demonstrating its technical expertise and public credibility.
Serechippy is a cosmetics specialist that handles every stage of the process in-house — from product planning and development through production, packaging and sales — using its own manufacturing facilities and production infrastructure. This year it has diversified its online and offline distribution by operating a pop-up store in Seongsu, entering pharmacies nationwide and AK Plaza's Bundang branch, and running live-commerce channels at home and abroad.
Kua is a local brand that launched in 2022 as South Korea's first science café and operates a distinctive science-and-culture complex that connects science with everyday life. It carries more than 40 food and beverage items incorporating scientific principles, over 470 science-themed goods and more than 120 hands-on experience kits, and has built a unique competitive edge through collaboration with research institutions in the Daedeok Special Research and Development Zone.
Guild Coffee is a locally rooted coffee specialist that has operated a bean roasting and supply business centered on Daejeon and the broader Chungcheong region since its founding in 2019. The company has secured differentiated product competitiveness through its proprietary roasting technology, quality control and product development capabilities, and maintains a stable business base with an average annual growth rate of 13 percent and a supply record of about 17 metric tons of beans per year.
Nature Assemble is a technology-driven company that develops low-irritant, eco-friendly functional cosmetics based on natural ingredients and dermatological science. It has built differentiated product competitiveness through its founder's research and development expertise and systematic product design and efficacy-verification capabilities, and is expanding its overseas distribution network by concluding sales agreements in Japan and Mongolia and pursuing business-matching opportunities in Vietnam.
"The growth and advancement of small business owners breathes vitality into alley-district commerce and, in turn, strengthens the competitiveness of the local economy — their passion is raising the brand value of Daejeon," Mayor Heo said. "We will spare no policy support to help them grow into flagship Daejeon brands that draw national attention."
kwonhl@heraldcorp.com
